I remember this growing up, but more so during our many visits to Hungary in the 70s and 80s. Mr. KB had many aunts still alive in those days. We often traveled during the cheaper shoulder season of May and this soup appeared often - sometimes seemingly magically, made while we waited - a broth filled with delicate flavours, fresh sweet peas, and the texture of little dumplings (csipetke or nokedli).
Assuming it was simply a chicken broth with peas dumped in I tried making this more than once without optimal success. This approach outlined here does the trick - and is pretty quick.
Getting Ready:
chop the onions
prep the carrots and the parsley root - peel and cut into spoon-sized slices/pieces
See Notes below re parsley root vs parsnip
chop parsley (about 2-3 TB)
check out recipe for little dumplings
2 TB lard, or 4 TB butter
1 medium onion – peeled , finely diced
2 medium carrots – peeled and cut into 1⁄4 inch slices
1 medium parsley root - peeled and cut into 1⁄4 inch slices
500 grams (17.6 ounces) fresh or frozen green peas
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp of sugar
1 TB plain flour (see Notes about Easy Blend Flour)
1 tsp sweet (not hot) paprika OR 1 TB paprika cream (see Notes about getting the best paprika)
4-5 cups of water or chicken stock
2 TB chopped parsley
I always have lard on hand, but admit that for this soup starting with butter is almost better. In a soup pot, heat the lard or butter and saute the chopped onions until translucent. Low and slow yields maximum flavour. Do not brown or burn the onions. (Add a wee bit of water if necessary to keep them from burning.)
Add the green peas, carrot and parsley root slices.
Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and sugar. Stir in water to the level of 1-2”, almost covering the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer until the vegetables are half tender. Check after 10 minutes, and every 5 minutes after.
Once the vegetables are half tender, sprinkle in the flour (which will thicken the mixture a wee bit) and stir for 1 minute. Add paprika or paprika cream. For this, I prefer to use paprika cream. Stir that in as well and then stir in the water or stock (my pref) - slowly at first to avoid lumps. Bring it to a gentle boil and then lower heat to simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, mix together the little dumplings. Add them to the simmering soup. These will cook quickly and rise to the top when done. Adjust the seasoning - and that may include adjusting the sugar.
Add chopped parsley, serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes and Tips...
Lard - using lard is traditional, or substitute butter
Butter - if using, perhaps best to use unsalted so you can control the salt content.
Parsley Root vs. Parsnip - turns out these are not the same. You can find websites that detail the differences in how these look AND taste - parsnips being sweeter. Pointing out the difference seems somewhat futile since it can be hard to buy parsley roots. I use often use parsnips in Hungarian recipes that call for parsley roots. Parsnips can be found right next to carrots - both packaged in the same way with tops off. Parsley roots are usually sold with the tops on and the photo shows how the top of the root that bridges to the leaves is quite distinct - bulging up, not concave like parsnips and carrots.
Easy Blend Flour - nice when you want to be sure to avoid lumps when thickening a liquid or sauce. Read More.
Hungarian Paprika - the better the paprika, the better the results - and some products you see on shelves are simply not good enough! Read More.
There are as many variations to this as there are families - some people add chunks of kohlrabi or potato.
For KB Recipe Attribution Practices please click here.
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