Juha od Graha - Provincial style bean soup

Main Ingredients :

• 500 grams of dried beans (kidney or borlotti)

• 1 kg of smoked bacon bones (or 1 smoked pork hock)

• 1 medium onion (chopped)

• 2 carrots (coarsely chopped)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon of Vegeta

• Salt and pepper to taste

Soup Thickener Ingredients :

• half a glass of cold water

• 2 tablespoons of oil

• 2 cloves of garlic (finely diced)

• 1 tablespoon of plain flour

Soak dried beans over night.

Place drained beans in a large stock or cooking pot with smoked pork and remaining ingredients along with 2.5 to 3 litres of cold water. Bring to boil then simmer on low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours stirring occassionaly.

Soup Thickener Instructions :

Heat oil in a small saucepan on low heat. Add garlic and fry until golden in color. Then add the flour followed by the water and mix briskly ensuring to keep the air-bubbles at bay.

Return the Thickening mix to the large pot of beans and stir through. Simmer on low heat fro an extra 5 minutes.