Shepherd's Egg Barley with Lentils and Sausage | Hearty Hungarian One-Pot Dish

Prepare the ingredients: thoroughly rinse and drain the brown lentils. Finely dice the smoked bacon, slice the cooked smoked sausage into rounds, and cut the peeled potatoes and carrot into 1.5 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and dice the Hungarian wax pepper and tomato into small pieces.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the lard and render the diced bacon until crisp and golden brown. Add the dry egg barley (tarhonya) and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it turns an even, lovely golden-brown color, then transfer it to a bowl.

In the remaining hot fat, sauté the finely chopped onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the sausage slices and cook for 2-3 minutes so they release their spicy red fat, then stir in the minced garlic, diced pepper, and tomato. Cook for another 2 minutes until you get a juicy, lecsó-like base.