Spanish Bacon

Spaans spek

1.5 kg sweet apples
400 grams sausages
1 kg flour
package of dry yeast
2 eggs
400 ml milk
syrup or butter
salt

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Put them in a pan, add a bit of water and place the sausages on top. Boil for 15 minutes. Prepare the yeast as instructed on the package and mix it with the flour. Add the eggs, milk and salt and make into a batter. Cover it, put it in a warm spot and let it rise for 45 minutes. In a tall pot, put the apples, sausages and the juice and pour in the risen batter. Bring to a boil, put the lid on the pot and let it simmer slowly for two hours. Do not lift the lid to check on the process during that time. Only after two hours check if the bread is done. When ready, cut it into slices and serve with syrup, a fruit sauce or butter and sugar.

The name of this centuries-old dish from Brabant province is misleading as there is no bacon involved and the ‘Spanish connection’ is tenuous, but indicates that the recipe dates from the 16th century when the Spanish still dominated the Low Lands. Presumably, the connection with ‘bacon’ refers to the fact that the dish seems somewhat ‘slick and slippery’ just like boiled bacon.