Hearty Hungarian Peasant Soup
Submitted by chavo
Hungarian peasant soup with chicken, turkey legs, and stewing beef simmered with kohlrabi, parsley root, leeks, and whole peppercorns. A two-course meal from one pot.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
120 minREADY
150 minThis is a real peasant soup in the best sense: one massive pot feeds a family two courses. The rich broth gets ladled over noodles for a soup course, then the tender meat and chunky vegetables come out on a platter with crusty black bread as the main dish. That’s how they serve it in Hungary.
Three meats simmer together for the first hour: a whole chicken, turkey legs, and boneless stewing beef. Each contributes something different to the broth. The chicken gives it body and gelatin, the turkey adds a deeper poultry flavor, and the beef brings richness. Together, they create a broth that tastes like it took all day.
The vegetables go in chunked large so they hold their shape through the second hour of cooking. Parsley root (use the leaves too), kohlrabi, leeks, carrots, celery, and a whole onion with the skin on for golden color. That onion skin trick is old-school Hungarian, tinting the broth a warm amber.
Chef Tips
- Skim the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes of boiling. It’s protein scum that makes the broth cloudy if left in.
- Keep the onion skin on. It adds color to the broth without affecting the flavor. Remove it before serving.
- Cook the noodles separately and add them to individual bowls. Cooking noodles in the broth makes them gummy and clouds the liquid.
- Cut all vegetables to roughly the same size so they cook evenly in the second hour.
Variations
- Paprika finish: Stir in a tablespoon of sweet Hungarian paprika at the end for a more traditionally Hungarian flavor and color.
- Root vegetable heavy: Add parsnips and turnips alongside the kohlrabi for an even heartier vegetable selection.
Ingredients
Directions
Put all of the meat into the soup pot and add the peppercorns, nutmeg, bouillon cube, and salt.
Cover with water and bring to a boil.
Clean the vegetables, discarding seeds and tops, except for the parsley root, the leaves of which should be used.
Cut into large even chunks.
After the meat has simmered for an hour, add the vegetables and cook gently for another hour or until both meat and vegetables are done.
Cook the noodles separately and drain.
To serve the meat Hungarian style, spoon noodles into soup bowls, and spoon broth over them for the soup course.
The meat and vegetables should be served with crusty black bread as the entree.
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