This is a very satiating soup and represents Transylvania so well with the smoked meat, tarragon, paprika and the roux. It is better eaten during cold seasons.
There is a summer version, vegetarian. The ingredients are almost the same, but without meat and less water. I like to use veggie broth instead of water, if I am making the vegetarian version.
The pickled onion salad alongside the soup and the pickled tarragon are a must, if you want to stay true to the original recipe. See my notes on how to make them.
Enjoy!
transylvanian smoked bean soup
Ingredients
1 smoked pork knuckle, around 1.5 kg
1 big onion, skin on
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
4 cans of 400g cooked white beans
3L water
1 tbsp Vegeta, or any salt seasoned with vegetables
3 tbsp sweet paprika (I use Hungarian sweet paprika, but any will do)
6-8 sprigs of tarragon
3-4 tbsp white vinegar, 9 degrees
Salt to taste
100ml sunflower oil or any vegetable, unflavored oil
3 heaped tbsp all purpose flour
To serve: a must in Transylvania - sliced onion mixed with salt and white vinegar, and a good, sourdough bread (see my homemade, no knead bread recipe here)
Method
Take a 5L pot, put the pork knuckle in and cover with water. Put the lid on and let it simmer on low heat until cooked. It takes around 2h.
20 minutes before the pork knuckle is cooked, add the whole onion, with the skin on, and the carrots. When done, let it cool, and start to make the roux.
Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the flour and, stirring constantly, let the flour cook until its color is almost dark brown. Do not let it burn! The roux will give a nutty taste to the soup.It takes 10-15 minutes to make it on a low heat.
Now, take out the whole onion and discard it.
Take out the knuckle from the broth, discard the bones and all the fatty parts, then put the meat back into the broth and turn on the heat.
When it starts to boil, add the beans with the brine from the cans, the tarragon sprigs, paprika, Vegeta, and salt, if needed.
Let it simmer for a minute and then add the roux and vinegar. Simmer for another minute, turn off the heat, and let the soup rest for 10 minutes before eating.
Eat it with onion with salt and vinegar (see tips & cheats) and white bread.
Tips & cheats
I mix a medium, sliced onion with salt to taste, squeeze it a bit to soften it and mix it with 1 tsp white vinegar of 9 degrees.
Go meatless: to give a smokiness to the soup, use smoked liquid or smoked paprika. Skip the 3L of water and Vegeta and use 1.5-2L veggie broth, instead.
In Transylvania we use tarragon pickled in vinegar. Fill a jar with sprigs of tarragon, pour white vinegar into it, put the lid on and keep it in the pantry or fridge. It takes 2 weeks to pickle the tarragon. Use both the tarragon and the pickle juice for the soup.
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