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Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi
Grey peas with fried bacon
Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi: Latvian grey peas with fried bacon and onion
Grey peas with bacon is Latvia's national dish, eaten at Christmas and on the winter solstice and served in Riga's canteens all year: large, earthy grey peas soaked and boiled until soft but whole, then tossed with crisp pieces of fried smoked bacon and onion and served with a glass of cold kefir. This dish contains pork. Grey peas are sold in Baltic shops; carlin peas or brown chickpeas are close. A common mistake is overcooking the peas into mush. Chef's tip: fry the bacon slowly so its fat renders out, then fry the onion in that fat; it coats the peas with flavour.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the peas
- 10 ½ oz grey peas or carlin peassoaked overnight
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
For the topping
- 7 oz smoked bacondiced
- 2 onionschopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 4 glasses cold kefir
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz grey peas or carlin peas and simmer in 6 ¼ cups water for 1 hour, until soft but still whole. Add 1 tsp salt in the last 15 minutes and drain. Common mistake: overcooking into mush.
60 minStep 2: Fry 7 oz smoked bacon slowly over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until crisp and the fat runs. Add 2 onions and fry 8 minutes, until golden.
18 minStep 3: Toss the peas with the bacon, onion and fat and season with ½ tsp black pepper. Serve with 4 glasses cold kefir.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pelēkie zirņi ar speķi take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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