Hungarian · soup

Palócleves (Palóc Soup with Lamb, Green Beans and Dill)

Palócleves (Palóc Soup with Lamb, Green Beans and Dill) reads umami 7.6, richness 7.2 and allium 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Hungarian soup, about 1 hr 51 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Richness 7.2 · Allium 4.0 · Salinity 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.2 · Sourness 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Sweetness 2.4 · Earthy 2.4 · Warm Spice 2.1 · Bitterness 1.0 · Floral 0.9 · Nutty 0.5

What's in it (14)

• lamb shoulder roast — 700 g
• lard — 27 g
• onions — 220 g
• sweet paprika — 30 g
• caraway seeds — 5 g
• garlic — 12 g
• water — 1500 g
• green beans — 400 g
• potatoes — 400 g
• sour cream — 250 g
• all-purpose flour — 15 g
• dill — 25 g
• salt — 7 g
• bay leaf — 1 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 51 min (1 hr 50 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 90.4 kcal, 5.5 g protein, 6 g fat, 4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

1. Melt the lard in a heavy pot and cook the onion over medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and golden.
2. Pull the pot off the heat, wait until it stops sizzling, and stir in the paprika for 10 seconds only, then put it straight back. Paprika added to a hot dry pan scorches instantly and goes bitter.
3. Add the crushed caraway and garlic and cook 1 minute.
4. Put in the lamb, cover tightly, and let it stew in its own juices over low heat for 45 minutes, adding a splash of water only if the pot threatens to catch. This slow covered stewing, pörkölés, is what makes the meat tender and concentrates the sauce before any liquid goes in.
5. Add the water, salt and bay and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes and cook 15 minutes.
7. Add the green beans and cook 12 minutes, until they are properly soft. This is not a soup that wants crisp vegetables.
8. Whisk the sour cream with the flour until smooth, 2 minutes, then whisk in a ladle of the hot soup to temper it.
9. Stir the tempered cream in and cook 5 minutes at a bare simmer to thicken.
10. Take off the heat and stir in the dill. Palócleves was written by Károly Gundel for the writer Kálmán Mikszáth, who came from the Palóc country in the north; the lamb, the green beans and the dill are all his, and it is not a variant of gulyás.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Gravy — Scandinavian
• Skillet Beef Stroganoff — American
• Shepherd's Pie — British
• Irish Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables — Irish
• Skillet Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy — American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.