Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

The court named pears, beans and bacon and beans, pears and bacon, regionally and with the Low German name " Beer'n, Bohn un Speck ," " Grööner Hein ", " Groenen Heini ", is primarily in the area Schleswig -Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg- Vorpommern and Hamburg known. Because of the required ingredients, the court in its original form can prepare mainly in the months of August and September.

It is a one-pot type in which pears, beans and fat are contained as main components. As a natural part of the North German peasant kitchen are not in the names mentioned potatoes are added.

Ingredients

Most of broken green beans ( green beans ) are used. In Hamburg are on the markets still occasionally find " Turkish peas ", a four-country bean variety that were once used mainly for this dish. The beans also some branches are added to savory during the preparation.

The belonging to this court pears are cooking pears. They are small, green, hard as a rock and does not have the sweetness and juiciness of the popular gem varieties and therefore only taste in the cooked state. These bulbs are available especially in markets and small grocery stores. In the Hamburg area are offered as variations of the four countries and the slightly sweeter Finkenwerder cooking pears. The four countries of varieties after cooking you a slightly firmer texture, which is preferred by many. These cooking pears are only from July to September, also depends on the weather situation, available. As a last resort for those who have missed the right time to pears pear mayor offer. You are in the uncooked state but not as hard and significantly sweeter.

The bacon used is smoked streaky bacon. From the home - for example, from the Four Lands, the Black Forest or Tirol - are all suitable varieties and offer taste variations. However, the crucial point is the storage of the bacon. Only the air-dried and stored marbled bacon brings the pleasant meltdown of boiled fat layer on the tongue. Bacon, which was stored as now increasingly common hygienic vacuum film, is fibrous and tough after cooking.

The Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein preference will be according to pears, beans and bacon or waxy potatoes - about the varieties Cilena or Linda - passed. In Hadeln, is next to bacon, and beef or lamb cooked with.

Preparation

At choice of bacon in whole or cut into serving pieces is placed with enough water and brought to a boil. Meanwhile, the beans are cleaned, washed and broken into pieces. After about 25 minutes of cooking, the beans are placed together with the savory bacon and continue to cook with them. Of the pears only the flower initials are removed, but the stems turn left, so that the skin of the pears remains intact and holds it together until the end. The bulbs are now placed on the beans and cooked everything together.

Meanwhile, the peeled potatoes are cooked separately in salted water. Some flour is still whisked with water, stirred into the cooking broth and this boiled briefly towards the end of the total cooking time of about 50 minutes.

Serves for each person on the plate one or two pears, a good portion of bacon and beans and potatoes and cook broth to taste. A fresh beer as a drink fit great with it.

Variations forgo the savory, but finally give fresh chopped parsley added, instead of taking the cooking water broth ( made-up or even boiled) or to taste, with pepper.