Silvia Beyer from the "Hündeleskopfhütte" near Pfronten cooks vegetarian food. Instead of schnitzel and bacon platters, she serves cheese spaetzle and vegan courgette lasagne. She introduces you to a soup with "Alb-Leisa", lentils from the Swabian Alb
Silvia Beyer is the first cabin keeper in the Alps to take meat off the menu. Back in 2015, the native of Nesselwangen took over the rustic Hündeleskopfhütte in Pfronten as the new leaseholder and made her dream come true at an altitude of 1,180 metres: she opened the first vegetarian mountain cabin in the Alps.
Here, Silvia reveals her recipe for a hearty lentil soup – for you to try at home. The special lentils from the Swabian Alb that Silivia uses for this vegetarian recipe have the property of becoming soft but never mushy and are unique in taste. There is no need to soak the lentils.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 200 g Organic Alb-Leisa: "Dark green marbled lentil
- 200 g Organic Alb-Leisa: "Späths small Alb-Lentil II". (Alternative: 400 g of one kind of organic Alb-Leisa lentils, mountain lentils or beluga lentils))
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- ½ celery bulb
- ½ leek
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- hot fresh pepper from the mill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp curry
- 2 generous pinches of fresh or dried thyme
- to taste: a little vegetable stock
Homemade Toppings
- Homemade herb oil: Mix fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper with a blender and put in olive oil.
- Grain mixture: Roast sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and buckwheat without fat and add a little salt, pepper and chilli.
Preparation
Step 1
Wash or peel 1 onion, 1/2 leek, 1/2 celery bulb, 2 carrots and cut into small cubes and strips, the size should be adapted to the type of lentil.
Step 2
In a large saucepan, so that the lentils can swell, heat 6 tbsp sunflower oil. Sweat the diced vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 3
Now add the lentils and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring. Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat so that the soup is still simmering gently with the lid closed.
Step 4
After 20 to 30 minutes, the Alb-Leisa lentils are soft and you can season them with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp curry, pepper and thyme. If you like, you can also add a spoonful of (homemade) vegetable stock.
Step 5
Put the homemade herb oil and a teaspoon of the grain mixture in the plate as a topping on the soup. Any kind of bread goes well with it, a sturdy one as well as the classic baguette.
