Jota Triestina — Sauerkraut, Bean and Pork Soup

Drain the soaked borlotti beans and place in a large pot with the smoked pork ribs or cotenna. Cover generously with cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook over a low, steady heat until the beans are completely tender and the pork has released its fat and flavour into the liquid — approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. The beans must yield without resistance when pressed between two fingers.

While the beans cook, place the rinsed sauerkraut and the smoked lard or guanciale in a separate pot with the bay leaves and enough water to cover. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The sauerkraut should be softened but still holding its threads; the fat of the lard should have rendered into the liquid.

Combine the cooked beans with their liquid, the sauerkraut with its liquor, and the pork (stripped from the bone if using ribs, the cotenna cut into pieces if used) in a large heavy pot. Remove the bay leaves. Using a ladle or the back of a spoon, roughly mash or briefly purée one third of the beans directly in the pot. The broth should visibly thicken and turn opaque; the soup should now hold its consistency on the spoon rather than running freely.

Prepare the pisto: melt the lard in a small heavy pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and cook, stirring, until the slices are uniformly golden — not pale, not burnt. Add the flour and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the roux darkens to a deep amber-brown and smells of roasted grain. Ladle a little of the hot soup into the pan to loosen, then pour the entire pisto into the soup pot and stir thoroughly to incorporate. This is the step on which jota lives or dies: a pale, under-cooked pisto gives a raw, starchy note; a burnt one turns the soup bitter; the correct dark roux gives the soup its characteristic depth, its unified body, and its identity as jota rather than plain bean soup.

Continue simmering the assembled soup, uncovered, for a further 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the beans catching on the base of the pot. The soup should reduce to a dense, dark, almost porridge-like mass — thick enough that a spoon drawn across the surface leaves a momentary channel before the soup closes back. Taste and adjust seasoning. The sourness of the sauerkraut must dominate; the soup should taste pungent and complex, not mild.

Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil or a small knob of lard added at the table. Jota is best reheated on the second or third day, when the sourness has mellowed and the flavours have fully integrated into a single dark, unified mass.