Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 180 g dry small white beans, soaked in water overnight
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 bay leaves, one for each pot of bean cooking
- chicken stock for last soaking of beans
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 3 large leafy celery stalks, de-stringed (reserve the leaves separately – chop the leaves first)
- 1 parsley root, peeled (you can use a parsnip or more carrots instead, but TFD strongly recommends seeking this out!)
- 2 small peeled carrots
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- ***
- To finish:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot Hungarian paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
- 3 small garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- A sprinkling of smoked chili flakes, to taste
- 10 tarragon leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon finely-ground dried lovage (optional but recommended)
- 1 Hillshire Farm Polish kielbasa link, cut up and fried in a pan
- ***
- To serve:
- Red onion, finely chopped, mixed with a little white wine vinegar or zeamă de varză acră (sauerkraut juice – this is very much preferred over vinegar) and salt
- Sour cream
- Light country/seeded bread, not sliced – before serving, put it (or a portion) in a low oven and bake until crisp on the outside
- Sour pickles
Instructions
- Choose beans, rinse and leave it in a bowl with cold water overnight. The next day, drain the beans and discard the water.
- To succeed with a bean recipe, it is very important that you learn this: beans should be boiled in 3 different rounds of liquid (when boiling in the last round, use stock not water, and you should add a pinch of bicarbonate to help with cooking and digestion).
- Put water to boil in a pot. Add the beans and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile boil the second water in a separate pot.
- Drain beans, discard the first round of water. Now, add beans to the second pot of hot water. Let it simmer for another 15 minutes and again, discard the water.
- In a third pot, cover beans with boiling chicken stock (stock level should be just above the layer of beans). Add the pinch of baking soda and stir.
- Cut all the vegetables into small cubes. Keep aside the celery leaves (check that they are not bitter, if they are, discard them).
- In a large pot, heat the butter.
- Add the chopped vegetables (pepper, carrot, parsley root, onion, celery) and sauté while stirring over medium heat until the vegetables soften, but are not browned.
- Add the garlic and flour and mix well until it is absorbed.
- Add the tomato paste, salt, smoked chili flakes and celery leaves.
- Add the beans with their final cooking liquid.
- Add more chicken stock as needed.
- Mix well, add the sautéed kielbasa slices, cover, and cook until the vegetables soften.
- Add vinegar, paprikas, crushed garlic, tarragon, lovage, celery leaves, parsley and dill.
- Serve very hot, accompanied by vinegar onions, pickles, sour cream and bread.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
