Bean kernels with smoked meat

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g beans (quail bean kernels), dried
• 600 g lightly smoked bacon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pinch of pepper, coarsely ground
• 5 carnations
• 1 tsp, heaped sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar (wine vinegar)
• 1 tbsp, heaped cornstarch, for thickening
• 5 allspice berries
• 5 juniper berries

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes

Franconian food made from bean kernels (Franconian Switzerland, Bamberg)

Soak the beans overnight. The next day, add fresh water and bring to a boil. Do not add salt, as the meat will be salty enough afterward. Lightly crush the cloves, allspice, and juniper berries with a mortar and pestle and add them to the beans along with the bay leaves in a tea bag. After 1 hour of cooking, add the smoked pork belly and cook for another 45-60 minutes. In my experience, the open pork belly (mildly smoked) from the butcher tastes milder and more pleasant than the shrink-wrapped version from the supermarket. Add a little water as needed. Remove the meat briefly. Season the bean broth with sugar and vinegar. A pinch of baking soda is said to improve the digestibility of the beans. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water. Stir into the boiling bean broth and bring to a boil to thicken. Then add the meat back in. Done. Now just remove the tea bag with the spices. Green dumplings go well with this. Tip: You can find quail beans at the market in Franconia. They are almost black with purple or brown spots. They are about 2.5 cm long. This dish should also work with large white beans. I haven’t tried that yet, though.