Transylvanian Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hock

How to prepare transylvanian bean soup with smoked ham hock

1. First, put the beans to boil in a pressure cooker. After 10 minutes of boiling, drain the water and add fresh hot water.
   *If you change the water, don't add cold water as it will harden the beans and make them cook slower.
   Also add 3 carrots cut into rounds and the smoked ham hock cut into pieces so it cooks better. Let it cook for another 30 minutes (from when the pressure cooker starts whistling).
2. Make a roux: in a pot, add oil about a finger deep and fry the finely chopped onions. When the onion has softened, add the flour and fry for one minute. Deglaze with a cup of water. Season generously with pepper, salt, 1 heaping tablespoon of sweet paprika plus 1 teaspoon of hot paprika.
3. Transfer the roux to a strainer and submerge it in the soup. Rub with a spoon until all the roux dissolves into the soup (discard any onion that remains in the strainer).
4. Add a cup of tomato paste, bay leaves, and plenty of chopped basil.
6. Dissolve the sour cream in a bowl using hot soup from the beans, then slowly add the sour cream to the soup, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
7. Let it simmer for 15 more minutes on low heat.
8. Adjust salt to taste.

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