Lentil Stew

Neunerlei consists of nine different dishes, all served at the same time, and representing the water, land and air. The composition of the meal varies from family to family. We're concentrating on what the Meitzner family ate, as documented on Euromaxx à la carte on the 25th of December.

1) Rosehip Soup
2) Lentil Stew
3) Grilled Sausages and Sauerkraut
4) Carp
5) Celeriac Salad
6) Roast Rabbit
7) Goose
8) Green Dumplings
9) Bread Pudding

There is no generally accepted way of preparing the dishes. That varies from family to family and from region to region.

We'll give you the recipe for a dish which is regularly eaten across Saxony - Lentil Stew:

LENTIL STEW

Ingredients:

500g Lentils
100g Streaky Bacon
3 Onions
1 Carrot
100g Celery
100g Savoury Spice Cake
2 Desert Spoons of Flour
Meat Stock
2 Litres of Water
4 Smoked Sausages, each weighing 100g
Salt, Sugar, Vinegar and Peppercorns

Preparation

Wash the lentils thoroughly and soak overnight in one and a half litres of water. Add the meat stock, one soup spoon of crushed peppercorns, shredded carrot and celeriac and cook on a low flame until done. Add the crushed spice cake. In a separate pan, brown the flour, allow to cool and mix with cold water. Add to the lentil stew and bring to a boil for a short time. Cut the bacon into cubes and heat in a frying pan. Add the chopped onion and allow to brown. Add one soup spoon of sugar, followed by a soup spoon of vinegar.

Add the contents of the pan to the lentil stew.
Slice the sausage and fry in their own fat until crispy. Add to the lentil stew, which has been seasoned with a little salt, sugar, vinegar and pepper.