Maneštra od bobići
This slow-cooked Croatian soup from Jordon Ezra King is sure to be loved by anyone who's a fan of a minestrone. It's made with tender pork ribs, whole corn on the cob and plenty of borlotti beans to soak up the delicious broth.
Maneštra is Istria’s answer to the hearty, slow-simmered stews found all around the Mediterranean. The name itself echoes minestrone, and the similarity is more than linguistic. It’s a brothy blend of beans, grains (often corn or barley), root vegetables, and whatever seasonal produce is on hand. Sometimes enriched with a ham hock or a chunk of pancetta, sometimes entirely plant-based, maneštra is both flexible and comforting, a dish built on thrift, patience, and the rhythm of the seasons. Like its cousins across the Adriatic and beyond, it’s not just a recipe but a method, a way of cooking that stretches ingredients and nourishes deeply.
As is typical of dishes like this, with as many recipes as there are cooks, we were served maneštra multiple times in Istria in very different forms. One feature that linked them was the inclusion of sweetcorn (bobići), which I learned is very typical when in season (I expect frozen would work well too). The ham bone is optional but easy and cheap (often free) from a butcher and adds good depth of flavour.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 300g of dried cannellini beans, or dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
- 500g of pork ribs
- 1 smoked ham bone
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 2 fresh corn on the cob
- 2 bay leaves
- 100g of small soup pasta, like maccheroni, or broken spaghetti
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- crusty bread, to serve
- salt and pepper
Method
Place the first 7 ingredients into a large pot with a heaped tsp of salt and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally
- 300g of dried cannellini beans, or dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
- 500g of pork ribs
- 1 smoked ham bone
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 2 fresh corn on the cob
- 2 bay leaves
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente, drain and set aside
- 100g of small soup pasta, like maccheroni, or broken spaghetti
In a small frying pan, cook the onion and garlic in a generous drizzle of olive oil until soft, then add the tomato, paprika and a pinch of salt and cook for another couple of minutes. Set aside
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
After 2 hours, remove the pork ribs and ham bone. Strip the meat from the ribs and cut the kernels from the corn and return to the stew, then discard the bones
Stir in the onion and tomato mix, then the vinegar (start with 1 tbsp), then taste the maneštra and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve with crusty bread
- 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- crusty bread, to serve
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