Pearl barley and lentil stew with sausage | Hearty rustic one-pot dish

Place the lentils and the pearl barley into separate sieves, rinse thoroughly under cold running water, and drain well. Cut the Kolozsvári bacon into small cubes and slice the smoked sausage into half-centimetre rounds. Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic cloves, and peel and thinly slice the carrots into rounds.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the lard over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and sausage slices, then fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and their delicious smoky fat is rendered. You can remove half of the browned sausage slices onto a plate for serving if you would like to keep them crispy.

Add the finely chopped onion and sliced carrots to the seasoned fat remaining in the pot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the carrots are lightly caramelised. Stir in the crushed garlic and cook for another 1 minute.