45 MINSMAINSSIDEVEGETARIANOVERNIGHT

Šošovicový Prívarok

Homestyle sweet-sour brown lentil stew simmered with caramelized onions, garlic, bay leaves, and sour cream, paired with blistered crosshatch knockwurst halves and crispy fašírka.

YIELD4 Portions (~1.2 kg Total Yield)
PREP15 mins
COOK30 mins

Ingredients

Lentil Base

  • 300 g Brown or green lentils (hnedá / zelená šošovica), rinsed and sorted
  • 800 ml Rich poultry or vegetable stock (or water)
  • 3 Dried bay leaves
  • 4 Whole allspice berries (nové korenie)
  • 6 g Fine sea salt & 2 g freshly cracked black pepper

Roux, Sour Cream & Finish

  • 40 g Rendered pork lard or unsalted butter
  • 1 Medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves Fresh garlic, grated or crushed
  • 35 g All-Purpose (AP) flour (unbleached, standard US)
  • 5 g Premier sweet Hungarian/Slovak paprika
  • 200 ml Full-fat sour cream (kyslá smotana, min. 20% fat)
  • 100 ml Whole milk
  • 25 ml–35 ml Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (to taste)
  • 15 g Granulated sugar (to balance acidity)

Knockwurst & Toppings

  • 4 links (~450 g) Boar's Head uncured knockwurst (špekáčiky substitute), halved lengthwise and scored skin-side in a tight diamond crosshatch pattern
  • 15 g Rendered pork lard or butter (for searing sausages)
  • Tradičná Fašírka: Crispy fried pork patties, or fried sunny-side-up eggs.
  • Fresh crusty bread.

Method

  1. Simmer Lentils: Place rinsed lentils in a pot with stock (or water), bay leaves, and allspice berries (do not add salt yet). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes until lentils are tender but retain their shape.
  2. Build Onion Paprika Roux: In a separate skillet, melt 40 g pork lard or butter over medium heat. Sauté diced onions for 6–8 minutes until golden. Whisk in AP flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in grated garlic and sweet paprika off heat for 30 seconds.
  3. Thicken Stew: Ladle 250 ml of hot lentil broth into the skillet roux, whisking until smooth and thickened. Pour the mixture into the simmering lentils. Add 6 g sea salt and black pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes.
  4. Temper Sour Cream: In a bowl, whisk sour cream with whole milk. Whisk in a ladle of hot stew liquid, then pour into the simmering pot, stirring continuously.
  5. Balance & Season: Take off heat. Stir in vinegar and sugar. Taste and adjust balance: the stew should be rich, tangy, and subtly sweet. Discard bay leaves and allspice.
  6. Pan-Sear Knockwurst Halves: Melt 15 g lard in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the knockwurst halves cut-side down for 2 minutes until browned, then flip onto the crosshatched skin for 3–4 minutes until the diamond cuts fan open into crisp, charred edges.
  7. Serve: Dish warm into wide bowls, topped with two crispy crosshatch knockwurst halves, a freshly fried Tradičná Fašírka, and warm sourdough slices.
Chef's Tip: This is my girlfriend's absolute favourite Slovak dish so far. Halving the sausages before crosshatching gives you crisp, fanned-out edges while keeping the cut face flat for a deep sear in pork lard. Salting the lentils only after they soften keeps the skins tender and prevents them from remaining tough during cooking.