Whip up your own cozy Italian restaurant-style stew in the comfort of your kitchen! This heartwarming dish features potatoes, ham hock, carrots, kale, and dried beans, making it a perfect companion for chilly winter evenings. It’s like bringing a touch of gourmet dining right to your own dinner table. Makes about a generous 8 servings.
4 cups dried butter,2 heads garlic, with the last 2cm of the pointy end cut off to expose all cloves1 lemon, peeled just below the yellow layer with a veggie peeler into wide slices6 – 8 Parmigiano (or pecorino, or Grana Padano or other hard cheese) rinds, or ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese + ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano for finishing1 smoked ham hock, ideally cut in half by your butcher or 1 smoked turkey leg—available at many grocery stores (both optional)4 sprigs of rosemary or thyme tied up with a bit of kitchen string or a teaspoon of rosemary or thyme1 litre chicken stock2 large potatoes or a few smaller ones (older potatoes are fine), diced into 2cm cubes3 large carrots (older carrots are fine), sliced into 1cm-thick slices1 – 2 large bunches kale or Swiss chard, and/or beet tops, radish tops, turnip tops, fennel tops, roughly chopped1 tablespoon harissa (a Tunisian chilli and spice paste), or 1 teaspoon tabasco or other hot sauce, or ½ teaspoon chilli pepper flakes (all optional)Salt and pepper to tasteOlive oil for finishing1 loaf of rustic bread (optional)
