andrejthechef
SloveniaStewDinnerDairy-free

Vipavska jota s kislo repo

The Vipava valley jota: beans, potatoes and fermented sour turnip simmered with smoked pork and thickened with a garlicky roux. Rustic, tangy and deeply warming.

prep
20 min
cook
2 h
total
2 h 20 min
serves
6
level
medium
Hearty Vipavska jota stew with beans, sour turnip, potatoes and smoked pork

Jota is a bean and sour-vegetable stew shared across the Slovenian Littoral and Karst. The Vipava version uses kisla repa, fermented turnip strips, which give the stew its gentle tang, together with beans, potatoes and smoked pork ribs or hock.

A browned roux of lard, flour, garlic and paprika, called zaprška, is stirred in near the end, and the stew is better the next day. A bowl with crusty bread is a full meal.

Vipavska jota s kislo repo is one of the twenty most famous Slovenian foods.

method

  1. Drain the soaked beans. Put them in a pot with the smoked meat, bay leaves and the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour.

  2. Add the potatoes and the shredded sour turnip. Simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the beans and potatoes are tender.

  3. Make the zaprška: melt the lard in a small pan, stir in the flour and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika, stir for 10 seconds, and immediately stir the roux into the stew.

  4. Simmer 10 more minutes so the stew thickens. Take out the meat, pull it off the bone and return it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. Rest for 15 minutes before serving. It is even better reheated the next day.

chef's tips

  • Cook the turnip with the potatoes, not from the start; long cooking turns it muddy.
  • No sour turnip nearby? Sauerkraut is the standard substitute, not quite traditional but close.
  • Do not salt the beans early; add salt only at the end so they soften evenly.