Swabian Alb Lentil Soup with Sour Cream

The lentils no longer need to be soaked, the cooking time is approx. 30 minutes. And also very important !!!! do not add salt and vinegar until the very end before serving. However, you should "read out" them a little beforehand. (Little info: The Alb lentil is an old type of lentil which, as the name suggests, is specially grown on the Alb.)

Peel the onion and cut into fine cubes. Cut the bacon into small cubes.

Peel the potatoes, celery and celery and cut into small cubes. Peel the carrots and cut into small slices.

Heat the butter lard in a pan and fry the onion with the bacon in it.

Put the lentils in the hot vegetable stock and heat. Add the roasted ham and onion cubes, including the fat, to the lentils, add a little pepper and the marjoram and simmer gently on a low heat for almost half an hour.

In the meantime we work on the belly, the rind and the "cartilage part" cut away and add to the soup (will be fished out again later). Then cut first into slices and then into strips. (Fry them so that they are seared about 10 minutes before the soup is ready) We fry them in a little clarified butter and then add everything to the soup as well.

After 15 minutes add the diced vegetables to the soup and let simmer gently until the potatoes are soft.

Now fish the rind and the "piece of cartilage" out again and dispose of them.

We heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a pan and stir in the flour, but don't let it brown too much, instead add some of the soup broth, stir it and then add it to the soup. Mix everything a little and let it boil again for 5 minutes so that the flour taste is gone and taste it again with salt and vinegar to taste.

Put the soup in a soup cup, add a good dollop of the sour cream, some chives over it and ..... enjoy your meal .....