Grandmom's Bean Soup

Let's get this out of the way up front... there is nothing overly sophisticated about this soup. It's an old family recipe that's been passed down through the generations. So when I eat this soup, I'm eating a memory. Join me won't you?

Hungarian Bean Soup combines carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and green beans. But what really sets this pot apart from any other vegetable soup are the finishing touches... After simmering the soup, I stir in a healthy glug of apple cider vinegar for brightness and bite, as well as a few heaping spoonfuls of sour cream for richness. And of course, no family soup recipe of mine would be complete without a few dashes of salty liquid seasoning.

The recipe that follows is more like a guideline. I'd encourage you to taste your soup before serving and adjust the vinegar, sour cream and liquid seasoning to your liking.

The true oddity here is the soup companion... crepes. I'm not exactly sure what business a crepe has sitting alongside a bowl of vegetable soup. But I'm told, back in the day, my great grandmother would make a pot of Bean Soup and a stack of Palacsinta (aka Hungarian crepes), load it up in a basket, balance said basket on her head, and deliver lunch to the family working in the fields. So I carry on the tradition. You don't have to get it, but I'm giving you the excuse to eat crepes for dinner... so, really, how upset can you be?

Growing up, I often dipped plain crepes or even jam filled crepes into my soup. Something about the sour soup and sweet crepe really does something for me. These days, I acknowledge it's probably better practice to have a bit of protein with each meal. Being that this is a vegetable soup, I often serve the crepes rolled together with a few slices of deli ham and cheese. But again, in keeping with the theme of this recipe, customize your crepes to your liking.

Enjoy this little family tradition of mine!

Hungarian Bean Soup

Ingredients

For the soup

· 1 tbsp olive oil

· ½ onion, diced fine

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

· 2 celery stalks, diced

· 2 large gold potatoes, peeled and diced

· 16oz frozen, cut green beans

· 1 tbsp flour

· 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika

· ½ tsp garlic powder

· ½ tsp onion powder

· ½ tsp salt

· ¼ tsp black pepper

· 6 cups chicken stock

· 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

· Liquid seasoning (such as Maggi)

· ¼ cup sour cream

For the crepes

· 3 cups whole milk

· 4 eggs

· 3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 2 ½ cups flour

· 3 tsp sugar

· ½ tsp salt

· Butter

· Assorted jams, deli ham, cheese slices for serving

For the soup… heat the olive oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium low heat. Sautee the onions, garlic, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent. Stir in the potatoes and green beans. Sprinkle over the flour and spices. Allow the flour to toast for 2-3 minutes. Once the flour begins to brown, stir in the chicken stock. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow the vegetables to cook until fork tender (about 20-30 minutes). Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the crepes… while the soup cooks, prepare the crepes. In a large mixing bowl vigorously whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Sift over the flour, sugar and salt.

For a truly smooth batter, pour the crepe mixture through a mesh sieve into another large mixing bowl to remove any lumps.

Heat a 8-10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly with butter. Pour about ¼ cup of the batter into the center of the pan. Immediately after the batter hits the pan, slowly rotate the pan in a circle to fully coat the bottom of the pan with the crepe batter. Return the pan to the heat and allow the crepe to cook for about 1-2 minutes or until the bottom is a light golden brown. Flip the crepe and cook for another 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and cover with a dish towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes on top of each other and covering with the towel. This batter should make about 12-16 crepes.

Just before serving, stir the apple cider vinegar into the soup. Add several dashes of liquid seasoning, or more to taste. Remove the soup from the heat. Gently stir the sour cream into the soup.

Fill the warm crepes as desired with jam or ham & cheese. Roll up and serve alongside a bowl of the soup.

Serves 4-5

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the flour in the soup and crepes for King Arthur gluten free flour blend. Knorr makes a gluten free liquid seasoning; you can find it on Amazon.