Linsensuppe is a German word meaning lentil soup, though some of the best
recipes are French, from Alsace. Like many such recipes, there's a lot of variation. This
recipe is based on one that I made in July 2007,
using ingredients that are relatively easy to get in Ballarat. One of the notable points
about this particular version is that it doesn't have potatoes, which are very common in the
recipes.
Ingredients
quantity |
|
ingredient |
Step |
1 kg |
|
brown lentils |
1 |
4 litres |
|
meat stock or water |
2 |
400 g |
|
leek |
2 |
500 g |
|
celery |
2 |
300 g |
|
carrots |
2 |
900 g |
|
bacon hock (smoked pork hock) |
3 |
450 g |
|
smoked hard sausage |
4 |
|
|
salt |
5 |
The choice of sausage is important. My experience and taste says that they should be as
heavily smoked as possible.
Procedure
Depending on the lentils, they may need soaking. Brown lentils don't.
-
Bring the lentils to boil in the stock.
-
While this is happening, coarsely chop the leek, celery and carrots, and add to the
pot.
-
When the pot is boiling, add the bacon hock, bring back to the boil and simmer. Don't
add salt yet.
-
After 40 minutes, add the smoked sausage, bring back to the boil and simmer for another
20 minutes.
-
Remove the sausage and cut into about 6 mm thick slices. Add salt to taste, replace
sausages, and serve. The reason for not adding salt earlier is that some salt will come out
of the bacon hock and sausages, but also that salt tends to make the lentils tough.