Name: White Bean and Tomato Stew with Smoked Meat
Prep time: 725 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 875 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1 lb dried large white beans (lima or butter beans), soaked overnight; 1 1/2 lb smoked pork hock; 8 cups water; 2 bay leaves; 4 allspice berries; 4 oz smoked bacon, diced; 1 large onion, diced; 1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes; 2 tsp dried marjoram; 1 tsp sweet paprika; to taste kosher salt and black pepper; 6 slices rye bread, toasted, for serving

White Bean and Tomato Stew with Smoked Meat

4.3 from 246 home cooks Free

Big, creamy white beans simmer with a smoked pork hock, sweet red pepper and tomatoes until the broth turns silky and smoky. Marjoram gives it the familiar Polish fasolka flavor. Serve it with thick slices of toasted rye and let it steam up the kitchen windows.

Prep

12 hr 5 min

Cook

2 hr 30 min

Total

14 hr 35 min

Serves

Level

Medium

Cuisine

Polish

Method

Step 1: Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for 12 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
Step 2: Put the beans, pork hock, water, bay leaves and allspice in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are creamy and the hock meat is tender. Do not salt yet; salt early can keep the bean skins tough.
Step 3: While the beans cook, render the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes, until crisp at the edges. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 8 minutes, until soft and sweet.
Step 4: Stir the garlic, tomato paste, marjoram and paprika into the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Scrape the tomato mixture into the bean pot. Lift out the hock, cut the meat into large chunks, discarding skin and bone, and return it to the pot.
Step 6: Simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens slightly from the beans. Mash a spoonful of beans against the side of the pot if you want it thicker. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Fish out the bay leaves and allspice, then ladle into bowls with a chunk of smoked meat in each and toasted rye on the side.

Kitchen note

Waiting to add tomatoes and salt until the beans are fully tender matters, because both acid and salt firm up bean skins and can stall the softening for an hour or more.