I originally got this from The Daring Gourmet, put it in Paprika, cooked it once her way and then modified a bit to what it is now. Schwaben is a region of southern Germany that was a Duchy dating back to the 500's AD. Today, what was Schwaben is a region of southern Germany that is in the States of Baden-Wurtemberg and Bavaria. It stretches from Stuttgart to Lake Constance and the Austrian border. The Duchy was quite powerful in the Middle Ages and the Hohenzollern kings trace their family heritage back to the Duchy. Schwaben's greatest contribution to the food culture of Germany is Spaetzle, which are quite similar to Hungarian Nokedli.
Ingredients
4 slices thick cut bacon diced
1 large yellow onion finely diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 carrot finely diced
1 leek finely chopped, thoroughly rinsed and drained
1 pound dried brown lentils rinsed and drained (no need to soak) (I use RG's Puglia Lentils)
7 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 batch of Spaetzle (or one bag store bought)
Method
Chop the bacon into lardons, then cook over medium-low heat. You want to do this slowly so the fat renders well and the bacon doesn't burn. Then reserve the bacon.
Add the onions into the bacon fat and cook until soft and translucent. Add the butter, carrots and leek and cook until slightly softened.
Add the lentils, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils have creamy interior, but the skin is still firm - start checking at 30 minutes. Add the vinegar and parsley and simmer another 3-4 minutes. If too thick for your taste, add a little extra beef broth. Add more salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.
Serve over hot Spätzle with a sausage, preferably a Saiten or Knackwurst. Or even a Nürnberger Rostbratwurst. you could grill the Rostbratwurst and then it would be a Pitmaster meal :-)
Ingredients
4 slices thick cut bacon diced
1 large yellow onion finely diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 carrot finely diced
1 leek finely chopped, thoroughly rinsed and drained
1 pound dried brown lentils rinsed and drained (no need to soak) (I use RG's Puglia Lentils)
7 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 batch of Spaetzle (or one bag store bought)
Method
Chop the bacon into lardons, then cook over medium-low heat. You want to do this slowly so the fat renders well and the bacon doesn't burn. Then reserve the bacon.
Add the onions into the bacon fat and cook until soft and translucent. Add the butter, carrots and leek and cook until slightly softened.
Add the lentils, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils have creamy interior, but the skin is still firm - start checking at 30 minutes. Add the vinegar and parsley and simmer another 3-4 minutes. If too thick for your taste, add a little extra beef broth. Add more salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.
Serve over hot Spätzle with a sausage, preferably a Saiten or Knackwurst. Or even a Nürnberger Rostbratwurst. you could grill the Rostbratwurst and then it would be a Pitmaster meal :-)
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