1 lb Dried white beans (navy or
-cannellini)
2 Onions, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
3 Bay leaves
2 tb Chopped parsley
2 tb Tomato paste
1 lg Carrot, scraped and sliced
5 To 6 whole peppercorns
1 lb Kielbasa, thickly sliced
1/2 tb Salt
2 tb Olive oil
1 ts Paprika
2 tb Flour
You will need a large saucepan. Pick over the beans
for bits of grit and chaff, and rinse them twice in
cold water. Put the beans in a large saucepan and
cover them with water to a depth of 1 to 2 inches.
Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat.
Leave to simmer gently for half an hour.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour in enough cold
water to cover the beans to a depth of 3 inches. The
beans will settle on the bottom. Leave them for a
minute or two; then pour off the water and replace
with fresh water. Bring the water to a boil and then
turn down the heat to simmer.
Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, tomato
paste, carrot, and peppercorns to the beans. Cook
gently over very low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until
the beans are soft. After 45 minutes of the cooking,
add the kielbasa.
Fifteen minutes before you are ready to serve, add the
salt and prepare a liaison for the soup. Heat the oil
until it is smoking lightly; then quickly stir in the
paprika, followed by the flour. Mix to a thin paste.
Add this to the soup, stirring well. Simmer for 5
minutes, until the soup is thick and rich.
Serve with plenty of bread and good red wine.
Serves 5 to 6. Time: 2 to 2 1/2 hours
From: THE OLD WORLD KITCHEN - THE RICH TRADITION OF
EUROPEAN PEASANT COOKING by Elisabeth Luard, ISBN
0-553-05219-5
