Jókai Bableves (Hungarian Bean Soup à la Mór Jókai)
This hearty bean soup with pork knuckle, sausage and homemade csipetke was a favourite of the Hungarian revivalist writer Mór Jókai, who was born in Komárno. Today it is known as Jókai bableves and is one of Hungary's most popular dishes.
Prep: 1 h 30 min
Cook: 1 h 15 min
Servings: 6
Energy: 636 kcal per serving
Method
01.
Drain and rinse the soaked beans, then put them in a pot with the pork knuckle and 2–2.5 l cold water. Add the carrots, parsley root, celeriac and whole sausages. Simmer gently for about an hour until everything is tender.
02.
Remove everything except the beans and discard the vegetables. Keep the meat and sausages aside. When the meat has cooled slightly, pick it off the bone and cut it up; slice the sausages into rings. Make a light golden roux from the lard, flour and onion, then add the garlic and a little paprika and thicken the soup.
03.
Return the pork knuckle and sausage to the soup, bring to the boil and add the csipetke (pasta). Once they are cooked, serve the soup with sour cream. Add salt only if necessary.
04.
Csipetke: Make a firm, elastic dough from about 100 g plain flour and 1 large egg. Wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest in a cool place for about an hour. Briefly knead it and roll it into pencil-thick ropes. Pinch off small pieces and flatten them. Place them on a work surface in a single layer and dust with a little flour so they do not dry out.
