Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb dried flageolet or small white beans, soaked overnight
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 large carrot, cut into 4 large pieces
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 4 large pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 smoked ham hock, rinsed and left whole
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts only), chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/2” pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2” pieces
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1/2” pieces
- 4 cups of water
- 1 28 oz can whole Italian tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried sage
- 1 lb Chorizo sausage, sliced 1/4″ thick
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 c chopped parsley
Instructions
- Drain the soaked beans and add them to a large stockpot with the small quartered onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and ham hock. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by a couple of inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, skimming any foam as it arises (1 to 1.5 hours).
- Remove the ham hock and set aside to cool. Remove the meat from the bone and chop into 1″ pieces, discarding the fat.
- Drain the beans in a colander and discard the bay leaves, onion, carrot and celery pieces. Wash the stock pot and return to the stove.
- Heat the olive oil in the stock pot over medium heat. Add the the chopped onion, leeks, and garlic and sauté until tender and translucent (about 4 minutes). Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes and sauté until slightly brown, adding more olive oil if the pan is dry (about 5 minutes). Add the sage, the water, and the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon.
- Cover the stockpot and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes).
- Add back the beans, the ham hock pieces and the chorizo, and heat back to a brisk simmer. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Notes
- If you run out of time, or forget to soak the beans, simply cover them with a couple of inches of water in a large, lidded stock pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and leave them covered for an hour. You’ll be in the same place as if you’d left them soaking overnight. Drain and proceed!