Though lentils were considered as a food of poor for a long time, now they are integral part of everyday consumption, regardless of the finanacial situation. In Hungary lentils are usually prepared as a soup or stew, mainly with roux and smoked meat, similar to dry bean soup. To break with the tradition, I’m sharing a more digestible soup recipe with you. The specialty of this lentil soup lies in seasoning, lemon juice and tarragon, whose aroma is reminiscent of anis, make it very piquant.
Ingredients:
- 1-2 tbsp lard
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 parsley root, sliced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1,2 l (~5 cups) stock
- 250 g (~1 1/4 cups) lentils (brown or green)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp tarragon
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2-3 tbsp sour cream
- lemon juice to taste
Soak lentils overnight in order to reduce the cooking time.
Heat up the lard, add finely chopped onion, garlic, sliced carrot and parsley root, and stir-fry for a few minutes. Sprinkle with flour, stir once or twice, then pour in stock. Add drained lentils, paprika and bay leaf, season with salt, pepper and tarragon. Cook until soft, and turn off the heat.
Put the sour cream in a small bowl and dilute with 1-2 ladles of hot soup. Pour the mixture into the soup while stirring constantly. Flavour the soup with some lemon juice.
