Name: Friulian Bean and Sauerkraut Soup
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 6 cups [1.4 L] chicken or vegetable broth; 3 cups [500 g] cooked cranberry or borlotti beans, or two 15-oz [425-g] cans cranberry or borlotti beans, rinsed and drained; 6 whole juniper berries, coarsely crushed with the bottom of a heavy pan; ½ cup [120 ml] dry white wine; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 medium garlic cloves, minced; 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 3 oz [85 g] pancetta, chopped (buy a thick slab from the butcher and chop it yourself for the best texture); 1 lb [455 g] Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks; Sea salt; 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 bay leaf; ¼ cup [7 g] chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 lb [455 g] sauerkraut, drained but not rinsed

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Easy Soups from Scratch with Quick Breads to Match

By Ivy Manning

Published 2017

About

I had this somewhat unlikely-sounding soup, called jota in Friulian dialect, in Trieste, in the far northeastern part of Italy. The city has alternately been part of Slovenia or Italy for centuries (it’s a border town), thus this very Slavic-looking soup of sauerkraut, potatoes, and beans. I know it sounds weird, but once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Not overtly sauerkraut-y and perfectly hearty without being heavy, it’s just the thing for a snowy evening. The soup can be made vegan