Bean Soup á la Jókai
(Jókai Bableves)
The soup is named after Jókai Mór who was a famous Hungarian novelist of the 19th century and this soup was his favorit. The bean soup is an exceptionally luscious dish. The flavor of the delicious vegyies mix with knuckle, sausage. At the end may serve with 1-2 tbs of sour cream it brings the taste you cannot let go, simply marvelous … and nowonder just as the novalist you will love this bean soup. It is really a mouthwatering soup with the scrumptious smoky meat that brings a perfect harmony of taste.
In Hungary the dried beans are grouped according to hardness, most Hungarian sorts have to be soaked well. By soaking the beans will grow and allow a shorter in time for cooking. The soup also preserves the most nutrients, and get the benefits of all proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Good to Know … It is common knowledge that beans are difficult to digest, but if at first only cook the beans in in cold water and after boiling pour the hot water off twice, thenafter in fresh water cook with smoked meat, we get a much lighter soup and less harm to digest.
Receipt for 4 persons – preparing time: cca 90-120 mins.
Ingredients: 300 g dried beans (soaked overnight), 300 g smoked pork sausage and ham shank, 1 celeriac root, peeled and diced, 3- 4 medium size carrots, 1 parsnip, 2-3 bay leaves, 2 tbs oil, 2 tbs flour 1/2 tbs sweet red paprika powder (but if prefer hot then use stronger one), 2 garlic cloves crushed, salt, peppercorn, vinegar to taste, hot chilli paprika on the top to feel the heat of the soup, 2-4 tbs sour cream, 2-3 tbs tinny rolyale (levesbetét).
Cooking: Soak the beans and the smoked ham overnight seperatly. Discard some of the water if too salty (it depends how smoked it was previously), pour some fresh water in the pot. Put them with bay leaves, peppercorns and sausage in a casserole and bring it boil over low heat. The same pot can be in use as soaking and cooking. Peal and cut the carrots, parsnip and celeriac. After 30-40 mins or when the beans and ham are already tender may add the vegyies to the casserole. Heat the oil in a small frying pan, add flour, keep stirring and heat it until it turns light brown. Take it off the heat, then add papirka powder and sliced garlic. Take alittle out of the soup and add it to the roux, quickly mix well to get a liquid gravy. Stir th eroux into the soup, so it will thicken and bring it to boil. Add the tiny dry royale into the soup. Within that it will require 10 mins further cooking, best to know when ready seeing the royale slowly floating up to the top of the soup, then cca 3-4 mins and served.
To read more about traditional Hungarian soups, visit previous receipt @ “Q” & “A” Culinary Heritage Into Hungarian Kitchen.
© Aggie Reiter
Rolling in Budapest 