The New improved Jota (Bean and Sauerkraut Stew), with vegan option

I first tried to make jota in early 2012. That was the year I took my deep dive into Slovenian cooking. I had never heard of this iconic bean and sauerkraut stew and I was eager to experiment. The version I made was pleasant but mild. And very white: sauerkraut, small white beans, white potatoes, and  a dollop of yogurt. The monochromatic color scheme was broken only by the sprinkle of parsley on top. I never got around to trying it again.

Jota, with white beans, 2012

Now, eight years later, I have made jota for the second time. And I am a believer! It was wonderful. Comforting and zesty. It was a success mostly due to the limitations created by cooking in confinement.

The first big difference: Apache beans, which I had recently discovered work well as a substitute for borlotti or Roman beans in pašta fižol. In fact, if it weren't for that big bag of dried beans sitting in the pantry, I probably wouldn't have given jota another chance. I don't know what made the difference, the switch from white to red beans, or the fact that the beans were cooked from scratch this time. Probably both!

Apache Beans

Another challenge: Jota is traditionally cooked with bits of bacon (my choice last time) or smoked meat. Although we did have some smoked sausage on hand, it was a Louisiana-style andouille. I was concerned that the assertive Cajun spices would overwhelm the more subtle Slovenian-ness of this traditional dish, so I decided to make the sausage separately and serve it on the side.

Oh-oh! Without really planning to, I had backed into making vegan jota! Now I was really facing a challenge. But a little online research revealed that my first recipe (from a non-Slovenian source) had been a particularly mild version, compared to the other approaches I was discovering. So I upped the garlic and added three new ingredients: tomato paste, paprika, and a touch of liquid smoke, the suggestion of a Slovenian vegetarian blogger.

These changes, growing out of a time of adversity, made all the difference. Even without the sausage, this version of jota was a winner. I can't wait to make it again!

Update: A month later (just after writing this post!) I was inspired to do it again, with one small change: Instead of sweet paprika, I used the hot smoked paprika I had recently bought. That created some added zest and it also eliminated the need for liquid smoke.

Jota, or Slovenian Bean and Sauerkraut Stew

1 cup dried borlotti, Roman, or Apache beans
2-3 medium potatoes (about 10 ounces cooked)
16 ounces sauerkraut
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste (or catsup, in a pinch)
2-3 teaspoons paprika (sweet or smoked *)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups potato water or other liquid
(Optional: 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke, unless you use smoked paprika!)
Parsley to garnish

* To compensate for the absence of meat, consider using smoked paprika (preferred) or liquid smoke (which also works)

If desired: Smoked meat or sausage can be served on the side
If desired: Yogurt or sour cream (or a dairy-free alternative) to garnish



Prepare beans in the usual way:  Soak overnight, simmer until tender, and drain. You should have about 2-1/2 cups of cooked beans. (Yes, you can substitute 2 cans of beans, although I don't recommend it!)

Cube the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Save the water. Drain sauerkraut if you want a milder dish. (I didn't!)

Heat olive oil in a large pot and cook onions until softened. Add garlic, sprinkle with flour, and cook for several more minutes, stirring constantly until mixture turns golden. (Yes, you are making a roux, just like the Cajuns!) Add a little water to this mixture and stir to make a sauce. Add the tomato paste, the remaining seasonings, the sauerkraut, and additional liquid as needed. Simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes and beans and simmer for 20 more minutes. At the end, taste the seasonings and adjust.

To serve, garnish with parsley,  plus yogurt or sour cream if desired. Sausage or other meat can be served alongside.

Slovenian Dinner Week 6: A Traditional Sauerkraut and Bean Soup

Menu

Vipavska Čorba or Jota (Sauerkraut, Bean and Bacon Soup)

Braised Dandelion Greens with Peas

Green Salad

Whole Wheat Walnut Bread


I discovered the recipe for Vipavska Corba, or Slovenian Sauerkraut Soup, on a witty and erudite blog called The Austerity Kitchen.   The blogger, a young English professor and cultural historian, makes good on her promise to "bring you the best simple, savory fare history has to offer."  She had found the recipe in A Cookbook for Poor Poets and Others, written in the 1960s.

The recipe looked tempting and unusual.  How could you go wrong with sauerkraut, white beans, and bacon?  I even had a bag of sauerkraut left over from the goulash I'd made two weeks earlier.

So far, my cooking project had been heavy on cabbage and sauerkraut, two foods I had always enjoyed.   In fact, I had just learned a fascinating bit of family lore that might help explain it.

The previous weekend, we'd had a mini family reunion for my mother's eighty-ninth birthday.  Four generations together.   First time I'd seen my mother's younger brother in seventeen years.  When I told my uncle about my new ethnic cooking project, he started to reminisce.  Turns out my grandmother used to make sauerkraut, in a barrel or crock, with a board on top that was weighted down with a rock.

"Mom," I said, in what must have sounded like an accusation, "You never told me Grandma made sauerkraut!"

She looked surprised.  "Blair, everyone did.  You could always tell who was making sauerkraut.  The whole house smelled."  In her family, they kept the fermenting sauerkraut in the basement.

So maybe sauerkraut is in my blood.

I had just one question.  How legitimate was this soup recipe?  I couldn't find any references to it in my vintage Slovenian American cookbooks or, for that matter, on the Internet.  I didn't want to stray too far from my primary sources.

But when I looked more closely, I realized that it was a recipe for jota ("yota"), a traditional thick soup found in Slovenia and in Northern Italy.  Vipavska Čorba ("chorba") means "chowder from Vipava," a Slovenian town about fifteen miles from Trieste.  There were very similar soup recipes in my cookbooks, under a variety of names.  So I figured I was on safe ground.

I made a few changes in the original recipe.  To save time, I used canned beans instead of cooking them from scratch.  I used a thick sliced bacon instead of cubed slab bacon.  I cooked the bacon in the microwave rather than boiling and then adding it (fatty broth and all!) to the soup.  I upped the seasonings and decided to add some parsley.

And one more thing:  I had a feeling that this soup, like so many other Slovenian dishes, was meant to include a dark roux. So I browned  the flour-oil-vegetable mix before adding the rest of the ingredients, although the original recipe didn't mention this.  But I had a higher authority: My mother.

She and I had recently been discussing a different soup, something thick and dark, that she recalled from her childhood.  So far, I hadn't found a recipe that seemed to match her recollections.

"Did it have a roux?" I asked my mother.

She laughed.  "Blair, everything had a roux!"

Just like the Cajuns.  Who would have guessed?

2 cans small white beans (3 c.)

1 lb. sauerkraut

6 oz. bacon (5 strips)

1/2 lb. potatoes

1 T. flour

1 T. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 fresh bay leaves

fresh parsley to taste

salt and pepper to taste

yogurt for garnish

Cube the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender.  Save the water. Cook the bacon, dice, and set aside.  Drain the beans.  You might want to drain the sauerkraut for a less sharp flavor.  But I didn't.

Brown the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Sprinkle with flour and let brown.   Add a little liquid to thicken.  (Yes, this is our old familiar friend, a brown roux.) Add the beans, the potatoes and their cooking liquid, the sauerkraut, the bacon, and the bay leaves.  Add more liquid if needed.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and parsley.  Cover and cook until heated and flavors are blended.

Serve with yogurt or sour cream and a good sprinkling of parsley.

We rounded out the dinner with a hearty bread, a green salad, and braised dandelion greens with peas, courtesy of my husband.

The verdict?  Flavorful and unusual, as I expected.  A fine choice if you like sauerkraut. Next time, I might add a little white wine—preferably Slovenian, of course!

2022 Anniversary Update:  Using undrained beans and adding a little paprika and a sliced carrot or two add some flavor (and color) to this easy mild version of jota.