Green Beans, Pears, and Ham - Germany

This looked yummy and easy to make. From "The Best Recipes in the World" cookbook. "This is a good recipe to use ordinary ham, as long as it is not too sweet; prosciutto or the like would be overkill".

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
• 1  large onion, thinly sliced
• 1  lb ham, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 -3  large pears, not overly ripe (Bosc is a good choice)
• 3⁄4 lb fresh green beans
•  salt, to taste
•  pepper, to taste
• 1  cup  chicken stock

Directions

1. Put the butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the ham into 1/2 inch chunks. Add it and raise the heat to high.
2. While the ham cooks- stir it occasionally, but let it brown a bit on the bottom-peel and core the pears and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Lower the heat to medium and add them to the pan; stir occasionally.
3. Trim the beans, cut them into roughly 2-inch lengths, rinse them quickly, and add them to the skillet along with a sprinkling of salt and at least 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook for a minute, then raise the heat to medium-high, add the chicken stock, and stir.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are bright green and semi-tender, the pears are quite tender, and the liquid so reduced that it is essentially a sauce, 10 - 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.