Billa's sour beans

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 bag of beans, lactic acid fermented Rhenish string beans
• 4 Mett sausages or Kassler, ribs, streaky fresh bacon
• 700 g potatoes
• 100 g smoked bacon
• 2 onions
• 1 bunch savory, fresh or dried
• Milk
• butter
• Bay leaf
• nutmeg
• Salt
• pepper
• Juniper berry(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

String beans are prepared in a traditional way. The natural lactic acid fermentation and the popular (as stated on the bag) sour and savory flavor offer a variety of preparation options.

Peel, dice, and boil the potatoes. Cook the meat filling, such as the Mettwurst or Kassler, the ribs, the streaky fresh bacon with the juniper berries and the bay leaf for about 30 minutes, depending on the meat filling you chose. Remove the pot from the heat and let everything simmer in hot water. Remove some of the stock and cook the “sour beans” in the stock for about 8 minutes. Cut the bacon into small cubes and peel and finely dice the onions. Then fry the bacon and onions in a pan. Drain the cooked boiled potatoes, roughly mash them, and reheat with milk, a little butter, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Then mix the cooked beans with the potatoes. Serve the potato and bean mixture with the rendered bacon and onions. It’s certainly not a “light” dish, but it is a dish that has a long tradition in the Cologne area. Even my great-grandmother cooked the “suur Bunne” like this.