Epilogue: In honor of the 2020 Tour de France Champion, Tadej Pogačar, I made a dish which is popular near his hometown of Komenda, Slovenia: Barley Mush Hotpot with Runner Beans. Barley is about the only accurate term in this dish’s name. It was not mush (usually made by adding flour to the broth to thicken) and is not what you would think of as a traditional Asian “hotpot” meal where the food is cooked, in a pot, on the table at which you are eating (similar to fondue). From what I’ve gathered, “hotpot” in Slovenia is more akin to “stew” in English dialect. To be honest, I believe this is the first time I’ve ever made a Slovenian dish and even finding a regional specific dish was tricky. However, if you’re interested, this meal was adapted from “Grandma’s Kitchen - recipes from Slovenia”, link below. This book is really awesome as it was sourced by school children in order to reconnect with older generations in Slovenia and preserve food traditions of the 24 different gastronomic regions of Slovenia as a part of Project Kuhnapato. Slovenia will also be designated as a European Region of Gastronomy in 2021. I can’t wait to dive further into this regional cuisine in the future!
Barley Hotpot with Roman Beans
Adapted from Grandma’s Kitchen - Recipes from Slovenia, Anka Peljhan
You’ll need to soak the beans for 12-24 hours in salted water. Of course, you can use canned beans instead, in a pinch, but that makes me a sad rooster.
8 oz dried Roman Beans (or kidney beans)
1.5 cups barley
Onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves
Smoked ham steak, or other smoked meat, approximately 1.5 lbs
2 medium tomatoes
Parsley, thyme and/or oregano
10 cracked peppercorns
Drain the beans and add to a large pot along with the barley, 7 cups of water, a heavy pinch of salt, the cracked pepper and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion and carrots for about 6 minutes, add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant and pour the cooked vegetables into the soup. Add another tablespoon oil to the skillet and brown the ham steak, adding to the pot of soup afterward. Dice the tomatoes and add to the soup. Chop up some herbs and throw them into the soup and give a good stir. Boil for an hour, adding additional water, if needed. Alternatively, if the stew is too loose, keep boiling until reduced to a stew consistency. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved
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