Mom's bean soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 pork knuckle(s)
• ½ celeriac
• 3 m.-large carrot(s)
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 bunch curly parsley
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 allspice berries
• n. B. Salt
• 4 drops of oil
• 500 g beans, green, frozen
• 1 cup beans, white
• 800 g potatoes
• 4 large carrots
• 4 Mettenden, strong
• 2 tbsp savory, dried
• n. B. Salt
• 1 tsp, leveled caraway seeds, ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 5 hours 15 minutes

including recipe for your own broth

It’s best to prepare the broth the day before, as it takes a long time to cook, but if you have time in the morning and are willing to pay attention, you can also prepare it the same day. Place a large pot on the stove and heat it up. Simply cut the onions in half and place them cut-side down in the pot with a few drops of oil. When they are very brown, almost black, remove them. Add the pork knuckle and fill with cold water until it is completely covered. Return to the stove and bring to a boil. As it heats up, the egg white will begin to release, which is easiest to skim off with a slotted spoon before it boils. When the egg white has stopped and it is boiling, put the lid on and let it simmer for about 1.5 – 2 hours. After this time, remove the pork knuckle and remove the meat from the bone so that it retains its bite and can be added to the soup later. Cover the meat tightly to retain its color and ideally keep it refrigerated. Then return the bone to the pot and continue cooking until it has cooked for at least 4 hours. Only then has a bone been cooked long enough to extract every last bit of flavor, although the meat would now be more like mush. About 1 hour before the end of the cooking time, wash the vegetables thoroughly, roughly dice them, and add them along with the spices and brown onions. Strain the broth through a sieve and, if you have one, remove the fat using a fat separator. Without a fat separator, let the broth cool after straining and separate the fat after cooling. Time is important here, as the vegetables release a strong flavor, but they gradually lose their potency after this time. For the soup, soak the white beans a day in advance and cook them separately, or use canned ones. Peel and wash the potatoes and carrots and cut them into equal, bite-sized pieces. Cut the mettenden sausages into the same size. Bring the prepared broth to a boil, add the potatoes and carrots, and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Grind the caraway seeds, if desired, and add them along with the salt and savory. After about 20 minutes, add the frozen green beans and soaked white beans, cover, and cook. Then add the mettenden sausages and the shredded pork knuckle and let them cook, which adds a final touch of flavor. Now just wait until everything is cooked and piping hot, season again with salt and savory to taste, and then serve. Like any good stew, it tastes even better on the second day.