Olga's Lentils and Spots

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g bacon (belly bacon), streaky, smoked, sliced
• 1 garlic clove(s), peeled
• 100 ml vinegar
• 100 g lentils
• 3 liters of water
• 1 cube of stock
• 3 tbsp oil, neutral in taste
• 3 tbsp flour
• some pepper, black
• 6 rolls from the day before
• 6 eggs
• some milk
• 3 tbsp flour
• some salt
• n. B. Sausages Cocktail sausages
• 3 large onions, diced
• some oil, neutral in taste, for frying

Instructions

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

Upper Franconian recipe for lentils with dumplings from my grandmother

Boil the smoked pork belly with plenty of water (about 2-3 liters) in a large pot for half an hour. Then add the lentils, garlic, and vinegar and simmer for another 1.5 hours – add more water if needed. Do not add any salt! Once the lentils are tender, add the stock cube. Now ladle about 1 liter of the broth from the pot. Mix the flour and 3 tablespoons of oil into a light brown roux and deglaze with the lentil broth. Pour the broth back into the pot with the lentils. Season with pepper and, if desired, a little more vinegar. It should taste spicy and slightly sour. While the smoked pork belly is cooking, cut the bread rolls into thin 1/2 cm slices. Mix with the eggs and let stand while the lentils are still cooking. Once the lentils are almost done, add a little milk to the bread rolls and sprinkle with flour (about 3 tablespoons for 4 people). Knead the mixture into a dough. It should be soft, but not too runny. Season with a little salt. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and bring to a boil. With wet hands, form dumplings (approx. 7-8 cm in diameter) and add them to the boiling water. Let them simmer for 20-25 minutes; do not allow them to boil. Peel and dice the onions, and fry them in a little oil until golden brown. Once the lentils are ready, add the cocktail sausages (or small Wienerle). The mixture should no longer boil and should have a creamy, but by no means mushy, consistency. Drain the finished dumplings briefly and serve with the lentils and the roasted onions. Tastes best reheated, but always add a little water before reheating, as otherwise it would become too thick. This recipe is from my grandmother and was passed on to me by my mother. We love it and make so much that we can eat it for three days.