Trieste-Style Sauerkraut and Bean Soup (Jota)

Another Great one from Huffington Post

This hearty soup, whose name is also spelled jote, iota, and yota, is enormously popular in and around Trieste. In restaurants, the meat that has been simmered in the soup is usually lifted out before the soup is served and offered later as a separate course. At home, it's more typically removed from the bone and mixed into the soup. Suban, which makes jota with pancetta in place of other cuts of pork, also leaves the meat in the soup. We adapted this recipe from La Cucina di Lidia (Doubleday, 1990) by Lidia Bastianich and Jay Jacobs.


1/2 lb. dried borlotti beans or kidney beans

2 smoked ham hocks

1 lb. pork ribs

2 bay leaves

1/4 lb. (4 strips) bacon, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 lbs. sauerkraut, drained

3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put beans into a large heavy-bottomed pot, cover with cold water by at least 3", and set aside to soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain beans in a colander, then rinse and drain again. Return beans to pot, add ham hocks, pork ribs, bay leaves, and 12 cups cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.

2. Meanwhile, mince bacon and garlic together with a sharp kitchen knife until they form a smooth paste, then add to pot with beans. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until beans are just soft, about 1 hour.

3. Rinse sauerkraut thoroughly in a large bowl of cold water, then drain in a colander and rinse again. Drain sauerkraut and add to pot with beans. Add potatoes to pot and continue simmering, partially covered, until potatoes are soft when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes.

4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a large bowl and coarsely mash with back of spoon. Return mashed potatoes to pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. Partially cover pot and continue simmering soup, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20–30 minutes more. Pick meat off bones, discarding skin and bones, and add meat to soup, if you like. Discard bay leaves before serving.

7 Layer Casserole

2 cup thinly sliced red potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced onion, separate rings
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 can green beans, drained
1 lb raw ground beef OR 1 lb of chopped ham
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
1/2 can water
Salt & Pepper

Lightly grease a 2 qt casserole dish. Layer the items in the order listed, lightly salting and peppering each layer as desired. Cover and bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Uncover the last 10 min if you want the top browned.

Recipe ~ Baked Potato Soup

3 T butter
1/3 c flour

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add flour and stir with wire whisk rapidly till well mixed. Turn heat down slightly and slowly add 1 can of evaporated milk making a thick white sauce. (This MUST be evaporated milk or it will separate and look curdled)

Continue to stir and add 1 can of water. Keep heat high enough to cook the sauce so it thickens. Make sure it gets very thick. This will take time and patience and lots of stirring so you do not have a lumpy soup!

Once it is a thick consistancy, similar to a thick gravy, add:
a 1/2" 'slab' of Velveeta cheese
1 T Parmesan cheese
a scant 1/8 tsp of garlic salt
1 T of brown spicy mustard
3 T bacon bits

Stir till cheese is melted. Add bite sized peeled chunks of left over baked potatoes. Very well baked ones with lots of flavor are best. Cover and put in oven on very low or in a crock pot on low. Heat for about an hour till potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Serve with chunks of cheddar cheese or any favorite cheese on top.

This is enough for generous portions for 4 people.