If ever you should get to spend some time in Germany's north, you're likely to find some weird and wonderful dishes on the menu. Those living near the shores of the North Sea or the Baltic Sea seem to have a liking for odd combinations of sweet and salty food, as you'll see when you try the following recipe.

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

Pears, French beans and Bacon, also known as Gröner Hein¹ (probably best translated as: Green Henry), isn't really as damp as it first appears. The dish requires a certain variety of pear, known in Germany as Kochbirnen. These are small, hard pears which aren't very sweet and aren't meant to be eaten raw. The pears are available between July and September, so this dish is seasonal as well as being a regional speciality. Of course, other pears can be substituted - if you can't get Kochbirnen, go for a variety that is reasonably firm. As is the case with most recipes, there are variations in either ingredients or method. In some cases, the pears are left whole with only the stem and the blossom tip removed. The following is a recipe which is easy to make.

Ingredients (Serves Four)

• 500g French beans
• 500 g smoked bacon (or gammon)
• 1 twig summer savory (a herb²)
• 500g small, firm pears
• 500g potatoes
• 1 tablespoon starch flour
• salt and black pepper
• sugar
• 1 bunch of parsley

Method

Wash and cut the French beans. Cook the bacon in a little water for 15 minutes. Add the French beans and the summer savory, cook for another 30 minutes. Peel and quarter the pears, remove the core. Peel and dice the potatoes, boil in a separate pan with salt water for ten minutes. Add the pears to the potatoes, cook for another ten minutes. Take the beans and bacon out of their broth, cut the baconinto slices, and keep the beans and bacon warm. Thicken the bean-bacon broth with the starch, season with salt, fresh-ground pepper and sugar. Add the potatoes, the pears, the bacon and the beans to the broth. Wash and cut the parsley. Fill the stew into a large bowl, top with parsley and serve. You may want to serve Klüten (low German for Klöße = small dumplings) with it.

Klüten

Klüten, or Mehlklößchen are small flour dumplings. As they don't have a distinctive taste, they can go with a variety of dishes.

Ingredients

• 30g butter
• 200g flour
• 2 eggs
• 125ml milk
• salt

Method

Melt the butter. Mix all the ingredients and knead them to a firm dough. Add some salt to a pan of water and bring to the boil. Take a teaspoon and cut out small dumplings, adding them to the boiling water. Let boil for five minutes and then let steep for another ten minutes. Strain and serve with the main dish. Bon Appétit!