Bean Counters
I wouldn’t recommend counting the beans for these recipes, but you can make beans count for more than one meal when you make a potful! And as bonus, in bitterly cold weather, the recipes from this past week’s Berkshire Eagle column require a long oven bake to make your house warm and cozy!
DON’T SPILL THE BEANS!
by Elizabeth Baer
Two things happened recently: we were invited to join our friend, Vivienne, at the monthly Barn Dinner Series with Executive Chef Ron Reda at the Williams Inn in Williamstown; and our kids bought me a beautiful new set of cookware. At the former, because it was in the first part of January, one of the courses featured Hoppin’ John, a traditional New Year’s dish of black-eyed peas that is supposed to bring good luck. With the latter, I began a long overdue, comprehensive, and thorough reorganization of all of our kitchen cabinets and the pantry, where I found several bags of dried beans tucked deep on the back corner of a shelf.
With beans in hand, and inspired by the delicious Hoppin’ John we had recently, I decided to make baked beans. One package was Jacob’s cattle beans, a favorite of many Mainers, so I opted to use those. They aren’t so easily sourced, but many other varieties can be used for baked beans, including great northern or navy beans.
Once I decided to offer my recipe for baked beans, I figured I should devise an easier option using canned beans. They weren’t quite as good, but they were still so much better, with much less sugar and fewer additives, than commercially-made baked beans.
And what, you may ask, did we eat with two batches of baked beans in such a short time? We enjoyed them alongside ribs, hot dogs, and hamburgers, and for a breakfast treat we had them with fried eggs and toast. Some may think of the English tradition of baked beans with breakfast, but it was in Oxford, MA, where I once lived, that I first had baked beans with my breakfast order at Carl’s Oxford Diner. This local institution is worth a trip, but be forewarned that the portions are truly enormous!
BAKED BEANS from DRIED BEANS
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dried beans, such Jacob’s cattle, great northern, or navy
½ pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon ketchup or chili sauce (the kind that’s similar to ketchup)
½ teaspoon ground mustard
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Place the dried beans in a large bowl. Check for any debris, then add cold water to cover by a few inches. Allow to soak overnight.
Preheat oven to 250°F and place a kettle of water on to boil. Drain the beans, and place in a pot with fresh water to cover by about two inches. Bring to a boil and parboil until the foam rises to the top. Skim off any scum until there is little more forming, drain and set aside. (The beans can cool and sit for a few hours if desired. If so, don’t turn on the oven or boil a kettle of water until you’re ready to proceed with the rest of the recipe.)
Cook bacon and onion together in small Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a cover. Once the fat has rendered from the bacon and the onions are softened, scrape anything stuck to pan with a touch of water if necessary. Add the beans and the remaining ingredients except the salt and stir to combine. Add boiling water from the kettle just to cover the beans. Cover the pot and bake for 4 hours, checking about every hour and adding water if necessary to remain just barely at level of beans. Uncover and cook for another 1-2 hours for water to evaporate and top to crisp a bit. If the liquid is evaporating too slowly, raise the temperature to 300°F. Taste and add salt if needed (which will depend on the saltiness of the bacon).
BAKED BEANS from CANNED BEANS
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
Four 15-ounce cans great northern beans
½ pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon ketchup or chili sauce (the kind that’s similar to ketchup)
½ teaspoon ground mustard
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Place a colander inside a larger bowl. Drain the beans in the colander so that you retain the liquid. Preheat oven to 300°F.
Cook bacon and onion together in small Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a cover. Use a splash of water to scrape anything stuck to pan, if necessary. Add the sugar, maple syrup, ketchup or chili sauce, and ground mustard and mix to combine. Add the beans and stir gently, taking care not to crush the beans. Add about 1 cup or so of the reserved bean liquid until just barely at the top of the beans. Bake 1 hour covered. Uncover and cook for 1 hour more for liquid to evaporate and top to crisp a bit. Taste and add salt if needed (which will depend on the saltiness of the bacon).