Traditional hotpot from Bremen with pork-belly, beans and vegetables.

Ingredients

• 400-500g lean, streaky pork-belly meat
• 250g kidney beans (soaked overnight in cold water)
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 200g green "Bobby beans", rinsed
• 200g fresh carrots, cut into ½cm large chunks
• 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
• 200g leeks, cut into strips or rings
• 500g peeled carrots, cut into 1cm large chunks
• 1 freshly-picked  twig of savory
• 1 small bunch of chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Fry the chopped onions in a large pot until soft and 'glass-like' in appearance.
2. Add the kidney beans (that you soaked in water overnight) as well as the water in which you soaked them and the vegetable stock.
3. Bring to the boil.
4. Add the pork-belly, salt, pepper and savory and cook slowly on medium heat for 50-60 minutes.
5. After the first 10 minutes, add the potatoes to the pot.
6. 10 minutes thereafter, add the green beans and the rest of the vegetables.
7. The meat, kidney beans and potatoes must be cooked until soft, but don't over-cook the other vegetables. They must remain 'al dente'.

Serving suggestion

• Cut the pork-belly into chunks and then re-introduce them to the pot.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.