This soup is of unknown origin, it has come though the family as a hand me down recipe from Martin’s mum therefore it could be traced to Eastern Europe. It has never really been documented all the measurements are done by the eye and taste.

We make this recipe in the pressure cooker, if you don’t have one you will need a longer cooking time and the beans will need to be soaked overnight. We have never made it without the pressure cooker so if you try it please let me know how it turned out.

The quanities below are what worked for us on the night. We enjoy this soup to be really thick, I guess almost like a casserole. When you have thickened it to a consistency you like then just give it a go.

The smokey flavour and thick gravy like consistency is bound to be a crowd pleaser on a cold winters night.

Smoked Hock and Bean Soup

Serves 6

½ kg Bortolli Beans (the one with tiger flecks)
2 Smoked Hock
1 whole onion, skin removed
2 carrots, medium sized carrots, chopped
1 chicken stock cube
20g Butter, for melting
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1Tbs continental flour
2Tbs sour cream (just to smoothen mixture)
1 cup medium size pasta (we used Pipe Rigate)
½ Tbs Red chilli paste (optional)
½ cup Parsley, chopped
Taste prior to serving if needs additional salt or Vegeta (it tastes good, worth Googling).

It's an onion not an egg

1. Soak the beans in water for about 1 hour, any that float to the top throw out.
2. In separate saucepan cover hock with water and boil for 10-15 minutes, discard the water.
3. In pressure cooker add hock, beans, whole onion, carrot, stock cube. Fill pressure cooker with water to ¾ full.
4. From when the pressure has built up, cook for 35 minutes.
5. Once cooked add another liter of water.
6. Remove hock and take meat off the bone. Return the meat to the soup.
7. Add pasta into soup. Cook for recommended time (ours was 10 minutes)
8. While pasta is cooking melt butter and fry garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
9. Put some soup liquid into a separate cup. To this add the continental flour, sour cream, and stir to make a smooth paste. Stir in the garlic butter mixture. Pour back into soup.
10. Bring soup to the boil and stir until thickens. Add optional chilli, Vegeta/salt. The soup should be quite thick. If requires more thickening, sprinkle continental flour over the soup and stir in, allow to boil once added. We added about 2Tbs extra to thicken to our liking.
11. When thickened sprinkle with parsley, stir through and serve

Serve on its own or with crusty bread.

Smoked hock and bean soup