Jokai Bableves(Bean Soup a la Jokai)

Named after the beloved Hungarian novelist Mor Jokai, this bean soup is one of the great classics of Magyar cooking. Three types of smoked pork (pig’s feet, ribs, and sausage) simmer together to create a broth so deeply smoky and rich that the beans barely need seasoning.

The pig’s feet and ribs cook first until the meat falls off the bones. That broth becomes the base, thick with collagen from the feet that gives the soup a silky body you can’t get any other way. Beans and diced celery cook in this broth until tender, absorbing all that smoky pork flavor.

The roux is what makes this distinctly Hungarian. Onion fried in lard with parsley and flour, cooked slowly until light brown, then hit with paprika and garlic before being thinned with cold water and whisked smooth. This thickener goes into the soup and transforms it from a thin broth into something substantial. A swirl of sour cream stirred in at the end adds tangy richness.

Serve it with pinched dumplings (csipetke) dropped right into the simmering soup.

Chef Tips

• Cook the roux over the lowest heat possible. Paprika burns easily and turns bitter if the heat is too high
• Add the paprika off heat or on very low, then immediately add the cold water to stop the cooking
• Any dried bean works: cranberry, pinto, or white beans. Soak overnight if using dried
• The sour cream goes in at the very end, off heat, so it doesn’t curdle

Variations

• Kielbasa shortcut: Use smoked kielbasa instead of pig’s feet and ribs for a faster version (though you’ll lose some of that gelatinous body)
• Vegetarian take: Skip the smoked meats and use smoked paprika generously in the roux to recreate the smokiness