Here is a Moroccan loubia recipe from my friend Maloub, formatted by yours truly. It's a North African dish, more precisely from Algeria and Morocco, where it has been cooked for generations. The veal foot provides natural gelatin that makes the broth rich and creamy without any cream. Allow 3 hours total. White Soisson beans absorb the spices without falling apart.
The night before:
Soak the white beans and change the water 3 times.
The next day:
1 In a tall pot, put your 2 veal foot halves, the meat, the drained beans and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2 Add 4 to 5 liters (5.25 qt) of water and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, skimming from time to time.
3 Then add the spices, the crushed garlic cloves and finally salt. Cook for another hour at a gentle simmer.
Serving: on a large deep dish, place the white beans with a slotted spoon, then top with the meat cut into pieces and a ladle of hot broth. Serve the remaining strained broth in a soup tureen. Your kitchen will then fill with the colors and aromas of North Africa.
Historically, this is the cooking of North African homes, the kind you share with family around the same table, with generous broth and meat that melts in it. It's a dish that works well in autumn and winter, when you need warmth and comfort with spicy flavors that don't overwhelm. The veal foot and white beans need time, that's normal. This slowness creates the quality of the broth. Paprika, cumin and ras el hanout do the work, no heaviness needed. For wine, go for a dry white with good body, a Côtes du Rhône blanc or a Picpoul de Pinet, which stands up to the richness of the broth. A light red like a Beaujolais village works too. For serving, put everything in a large deep dish: beans first, then pieces of meat, with the broth poured hot over the top. Keep some broth in a tureen. It's simple, it works, and your kitchen will fill with smells that do you good.
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