Pear, Bean and Bacon Salad

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 1,000 g beans, broad beans
• 250 g bacon, diced (if you want it leaner: diced ham)
• 150 g shallot(s) (or 2 onions)
• 200 ml oil (neutral, e.g. rapeseed)
• 125 ml vinegar (white wine vinegar)
• 125 g rocket / arugula
• 1,000 g pear(s) (ripe, but not mushy; Abate Fetel if desired)
• savory
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

the traditional dish as a salad

Trim the beans and cut diagonally into 3-4 cm long pieces. Cook in boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, drain, refresh, and let drain. Peel and finely dice the shallots. Heat the pan, add the bacon cubes, and fry, stirring, until not quite crispy. Bacon doesn’t need any extra fat; for the lean ham cubes, add 2 tablespoons of oil; otherwise, it will be too dry. Add the shallots and continue frying until they are light brown and the bacon cubes are crispy. Add the vinegar, the remaining oil, and 50 ml of water; bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, season with salt and pepper, and let cool. Wash and trim the rocket, then spin dry. Pull the savory from the stalks and chop. (If you don’t like it in salads, you can add a handful while cooking the beans and then fish them out again!) Wash the pears, remove the cores, and cut into wedges. Toss the beans, pears, and savory with the lukewarm bacon vinaigrette and let it stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rocket (coarsely chopped if desired) into the salad and serve immediately. The bean, pear, and bacon mixture can be prepared in advance and allowed to stand for a while, but always stir in the rocket just before serving.