As eating lentils brings wealth and prosperity, this soup is a must have in Hungary for New Years Day. Full of wholesome ingredients this is a heart-warming winter soup, but of course can be served whole year round. There are several versions of this recipe – some make this soup with smoked meat, some with sausages (I used both), but it’s delicious without any meat too.
Ingredients (for 4-6 portions):
200 grams (0,45 lbs) dry lentils
1 large yellow onion
2-3 carrots
2 parsley roots
1/2 celery root (celeriac)
1 bunch of celery leaves
150 grams (0.3 lbs) smoked (Hungarian type) sausage
150 grams (0,3 lbs) cooked smoked meat
2 garlic cloves – crushed
3-4 bay leaves
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp paprika
ground black pepper, salt
about 1.2 liter (5 cups) water
2 tbsp mustard
250 ml (1 cup) sour cream (plus more for serving)
juice of half of a lemon
chopped parsley
1. One day ahead: Soak the lentils overnight
2. Next day drain the lentils and put aside
3. Finely chop the onion then slice the carrots, parsley roots and cut the celery root in half.
4. Slice the smoked sausage and cut the cooked smoked meat into cubes.
5. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the flour and cook for 5-8 minutes stirring continuously.
6. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes
7. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika.
8. Put the pot back to a medium heat, add the water and bring it to a boil. Add the lentils, chopped vegetables, celery leaves and season with salt and black pepper. Add the bay leaves too.
9. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 45-50 minutes (or until the lentils are tender).
10. When the lentils are soft, add the sliced sausages and chopped smoked meat into the soup. Stir well and continue to cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
11. Add the mustard and stir well.
12. Pour the sour cream into a small bowl and add 2-3 ladlefuls of soup. Mix it well until it’s well combined.
13. Pour this mixture into the soup, stir well and let it cook for 5-10 minutes.
14. Taste the soup and some more seasoning if needed.
15. Squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into the soup, stir well and sprinkle some chopped parsley over.
16. Serve the soup with some dollops of sour cream on top, some more chopped parsley sprinkled over and have some slices of good quality bread on side.
17. ENJOY!
/The music is based on a Hungarian folk song, played and made by my husband, MrStick© 2016 – (all rights reserved)/
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