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Hungarian bean soup a la Jókai                    

The name (Hungarian bean soup a la Jókai) was given after our famous Hungarian writer Mór Jókai as he was a big fan of this soup.

Ingredients for 2

• 10 dkg dried beans
• 2 smoked pig's feet
• 0,3 kg smoked pork ribs
• 1 Celery knob, peeled and diced (if you cannot find celery knobs, a few pieces of celery should make a fine substitution)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon oil or lard (fat)
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley, chopped
• Carrot
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 Tablespoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 garlic clove, mashed
• 0,3 kg  smoked pork sausage (if you can buy original Hungarian sausage that fits the best with this soup)
• salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mustard

Preparation

1. Soak your dried beans overnight.
2. Make your meat stock: Cook smoked pig's feet and pork ribs in 1 and half liters of water till the meat comes off the bones.
   Bone them and put meat pieces aside (you can do it  the day before to save time).
3. Add the beans to the meat broth, and cook until the beans are done.  Half time add the celery and the carrot (these need less time to be cooked).
4. Meanwhile, fry the onion in oil over low heat. When onion is wilted, add chopped parsley and flour and make a brown roux over the lowest heat possible. Stir often to prevent burning.
5. When the roux is light brown, mix in paprika and garlic; immediately add 1 cup cold water. Whip until smooth, and then pour into the cooked beans.
6. Add smoked sausage and 1/2 tablespoon salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Cut smoked meats into small pieces, and add to the soup.
8. Adjust salt. Add the sour cream and mustard. And boil it.
9. Serve with dumplings.

The preparation and the cooking take long time!

Palóc Bean Soup (Goulash with green beans)         

This soup is invented by the famous Hungarian cook Gundel Károly at the request of writer Mikszáth Kálmán who was from Palóc-land region, nowadays situated in northern Hungary and southern Slovakia.

Ingredients for 2

• 25 dkg of mutton
• 0,15 kg  green beans (it can be frozen, cut 2 cms long)
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seed
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 medium onions
• 2 medium potatoes
• 70 ml sour cream
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 garlic cloves
• a few dill leaves
• lemon

Preparation

1. Dice the onion into very small cubes and braise them with little oil in a pot.
2. Dice the meat in cubes, add to the pot and fry them for a few minutes in the oil.
3. Then add the finely chopped garlic, spices, paprika and salt, and a little water.
4. Cook until the meat is almost done, the time is not fixed as it varies with the age of the cattle.
5. Add the green beans and cook them.
6. Peel  the potatoes, dice them into 2 cm cubes. Add some more water to the pot and the diced potatoes.
7. When the beans and the potatoes are done, prepare thickening.
8. Mix the sour cream with 2-3 spoons of soup and the flour.
9. Add this thickener to the soup and bring it to the boil for 1 minute.
10. Put very little lemon juice to it.
11. Finally, sprinkle it with finely chopped dill.