Sauerkraut and Bean Soup (Kraška jota)
Jota is one of the most distinctive dishes of western Slovenia. Based on etymology, it most likely originated in Friuli before spreading east and south. The name `jota' means a type of minestrone in the ancient friulano language. Like the dish, the word was adopted into Slovenian and is cognate with the Slovenian word `juha', which means soup.
Multiple versions of jota exist: for example, the Istrian jota is prepared without potatoes; the Friuli jota uses turnips instead of sauerkraut. Here is a standard recipe for the so-called Kraška jota (the Karst jota), a variety made from sauerkraut and potatoes. It tastes better the day after it is made.
Bogataj, Janez. Taste Slovenia. Ljubljana: Rokus Gifts & National Geographic, 2007.
Recipe
Ingredients:
300 g dried barlotto beans (soaked overnight)
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp flour
500 g sauerkraut (rinsed if you do not want the soup to be too sour)
1 l stock or as needed
400 g potatoes
200 g smoked bacon
4 bay leaves
sweet paprika, salt, pepper to taste
Tip: To make the dish suitable for vegetarians, skip the smoked bacon. You may use some smoked paprika in addition to the sweet paprika when seasoning the soup.
Instructions:
Soak the dried beans in cold water overnight. Once ready to make jota, drain the beans and rinse them. Add to a pot and add enough water to cover them by several centimeters. Add two bay leaves, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Drain the beans.
Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes. Dice the bacon slab into cubes.
In a large pan or a pot, sauté the bacon until the fat begins to render out.
Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion turns translucent.
Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Add flour and mix for another minute.
Stir in stock, 2 bay leaves, potatoes, beans, and sauerkraut. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes or until potatoes and sauerkraut are tender and meat is soft.
Add about 2 tsp of sweet paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Sweet paprika gives the soup its distinct color.
Jota is ready! It can be enjoyed with a slice of bread, or, as in my family, with mashed potatoes.
