Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Traditionally called ‘Csülkös Bableves’ in Hungarian, this is a thick and tasty soup – rich in protein and good fats -perfect for a cold winter night!
Ingredients
- Cannings lard
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 small parsnip, finely grated
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 500g dried pinto beans or cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 smoked free range ham hock
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1/2 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Sam's Guide
- Melt half the lard* or heat half the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion, stirring until they start to go translucent – then introduce your carrot, parsnip, and celery; and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and aromatic – around 7–9 minutes.
- Then, add your bay leaves, pinto beans and ham hock to the saucepan and pour in 12 cups of water. Bring it to a rolling boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until beans are very tender – about 2 hours. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board and let cool. Cut away the skin and remove the meat from the bone – this should be fairly easy after 2 hours simmering. Shred the meat and stir it into the soup.
- In a separate, smaller saucepan, heat the remaining lard or oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for 2 minutes. Add the paprika, salt, and pepper – whisking for another minute. Finally, add the sour cream. Add this mixture to your soup and cook until slightly thickened, for about 4-6 minutes more.
- When it’s done, ladle your soup into serving bowls and garnish with more paprika and sour cream to taste.
*Check our post about Tassie Tallow
Images courtesy of Saveur.
