Bean Soup with smoke meat - (Bab Leves )

This is one of our favorite soup, original from Romania, even in that side of the world different regions of the country will have slight different recipies,  any of my guests loved this recipe therefore I am confident  who follows the steps cant go wrong, it is a delicios soup especially for the cold days of winter.

time
4½ hours 20 min prep

SERVES - 8 - 10
romano beans 3 cans or 1/2 lb dried Romano beans soaked in cold water overnight
200 g smoke sausage (Csabai mild)
300 g smoke neck bones or smoke ham hock or any other smoke bones
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 small onion very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
8 -10 cups smoked ham stock or water
2 tablespoons lard or cooking oi
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon delikat, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream or cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon savory

Preparation and Cooking
If using dry beans then wash them Drain and rinse the beans and put them in a large pot with wather over night, make sure you add enough water to cover 2" above the beans. Separately put the smoke meat and sausage to boil in 8-10 cups of water until almost soft, separately boil the dry beans in water with salt and change the water after boiling at least two times, if you use can beans then just rinse the beans and drain them, put aside.
In a saucepan melt the lard or oil and sauté onions and garlic until they slightly change color but do not burn or brown it. Add the the paprika at the end and then the flour and stirr at very low heat, remove from heat and add the tomato paste and continue stirring of heat by adding little by little some of the meat stock. When the content is well mixed add the salt, pepper, and savory.
Add the meat stock plus enough water to cover 2" above the beans and meat; bring to a simmer.
Simmer, partially covered, until the dry beans are tender (2 1/2 - 3 hours), adding water as needed to keep the beans covered; then remove meat to a separate plate. If use the can's beans only add them once the meat and sausage is boiled, soft, done.
In a heavy saucepan, melt fat or warm oil and sauté onions until they wilt.
Gently fry, stirring constantly until flour turns golden beige (2-3 minutes) (be careful not to scorch the flour and not to get any on you). Add the parsley.
Thin roux with 1/2 cup to a cup of the broth from the soup; mix well untill smooth, then slowly pour back into the soup.
Let simmer for 10 minutes (then if soup is too thin simmer for 5-10 more minutes; if too thick slowly add hot water and simmer for 2-3 more minutes).
Remove from heat and let cool.
Blend some soup into the sour cream or just heavy cream to keep it from curdling when you add it, then add it to the soup.
Mix in the savory and taste soup for more seasonings if needed. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and return them to the soup.

Reheat soup before serving.
Bon Apetit!