Green bean season means Bouneschlupp
The humble green bean is consumed in vast quantities – more than 20 million tons a year are eaten worldwide. You’ll find a variety of frozen green beans in most supermarkets, but the season for fresh ones is well underway.
Luxembourgers are partial to their green bean soup, better known as Bouneschlupp. The word “schlupp” means to sip or slurp, so you can decide which way you prefer to eat this hearty soup.
Zopp or soup is a healthy and easy one-pot meal, so we’ve investigated a few other favourite local soups for you to prepare at home including Spargelzopp (Asparagus soup) and Lënzenzopp (Lentil soup with mettwurst).
Bouneschlupp
This green bean soup does not seem to have a definitive recipe, and can essentially be made with green beans, onion and potatoes. Some recipes include celeriac, leeks and even carrots, but remember that whatever vegetables you decide to add, the green bean should be the star ingredient. The meat in this soup is either a smoked or cured sausage known as Mettwurst, or chopped speck or bacon, sometimes both. Vegetarians can still enjoy this soup by just leaving out the meat.
If you don't fancy cooking it but want to sample some, then you can try Boune(weger) schlupp at Bouneweger Stuff, or a bacon-based one on the menu at Beierhaascht. It's also served up year-round at La Belissima in Kehlen.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 mettwurst or 200g chopped bacon/lardons
- 300g green beans
- 500ml water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- Sour cream
- Fresh parsley
Mince the onions and chop the green beans into 1cm-long pieces. Peel and dice the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Heat the olive oil in a soup pan and "sweat" the onions. Then add the green beans, potatoes, sliced mettwurst or smoked bacon pieces and water, and cook for half an hour. Serve with a dollop of sour cream stirred in and some chopped fresh parsley to garnish.
If this all sounds a bit too bland and watery, you can include some chopped leek or celeriac, cloves, garlic, a bay leaf and the herb that seems to be popular in Luxembourgish dishes – savory. You can also use stock instead of water. Some recipes suggest you make a roux with butter and flour and add the stock to create a thicker, creamier flavour. You can follow one version of Bouneschlupp in the video below.
Spargelzopp
It would be impossible not to notice the many bunches of asparagus adorning the vegetable sections in most supermarkets. This recipe is for white asparagus but it will work just as well with the green variety.
Ingredients
- 1kg of white asparagus
- 1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 50g butter
- 25cl fresh cream
- Chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
Remove the asparagus heads and put to one side. Remove the hard ends from the stalks, and then chop the stalks into small pieces.
Make a roux from the flour and butter and add the stock little by little, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the small pieces of asparagus stalk to the stock and simmer until it has thickened and the asparagus is cooked. Liquidise the soup to create a smooth texture.
Pour the mixture back in the soup pan and add the asparagus heads, the fresh cream and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer on a low heat until the heads are tender. Serve with a garnish of chopped parsley.
Lënzenzopp
Lentils are a standard store cupboard good, which most people have in their larder. If you don't have time to shop, this is an easy soup to whip up using leftovers
Likewise, if you don't have time to soak the lentils overnight, consider using the tinned variety.
This recipe also includes mettwurst and, again, vegetarians can leave this out.
Ingredients
- 500g of dried lentils (green)
- 4 carrots
- 2 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 40g butter
- Thyme, a bay leaf, salt and pepper
- 6 mettwurst
- 2.5 litres of water or stock
Soak the lentils overnight, drain and place in a large saucepan with 2.5 litres of water, a pinch of thyme and a bay leaf. Peel and dice the carrots and potatoes and add them to the pan. In a separate pan melt the butter and add the flour to create a dark roux. Use some broth from the main saucepan to make the roux less thick, and then add it to the main soup. Finally add the sausages (chopped or whole) and simmer for half an hour or until the lentils and carrots are tender.
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