Easy Boston Baked Beans

  

One thing I really missed when I first moved over to the UK was Baked Beans.  Beans that tasted like my mom's always did, and indeed like mine did through the years.  The dry beans were hard to come by, as was Molasses and to this day, Salt Pork does not exist here. 

This  recipe is my nod to my mom's original Boston Baked Beans, and all the Baked Beans of my ancestors, albeit a bit easier to throw together. They use cooked tinned Haricot Beans (navy beans) and streaky bacon.  I like to use the dry cure bacon, and nitrate free if I can find it.  We love bacon, but its not very good for you, fat aside  . . .  its the chemicals.  Not good for you at all, that's why I use nitrate free if I can find it.

 

Back home, once upon a time we had a butcher who made his own home smoked bacon and it was truly heavenly.  His butcher shop always had the wonderful smell of his home smoked bacon.  I wish I could make some way for you to smell it here, but alas, you will just have to take my word for it. If you have ever smelt home smoked bacon, you will know what I am talking about.

 

Back to the beans. Mom always baked hers in a stoneware bean crock.  My sister does hers in the slow cooker, both ways take plenty of preparation and all day to cook.  You actually have to start them the night before by soaking the dried beans overnight, and then you boil them for a bit in the soaking water with a bit of soda, which is supposed to help them soften. I am not sure if it does. I was always afraid to leave it out just in case!

  

This recipe cuts out all of that overnight soaking and the boiling.  And trust me when I say they taste just as good as they would had you  started with dried beans. It uses tinned cooked haricot beans. (Navy Beans)  Three cans, drained and rinsed  . . .  

 

You make a rich and slightly sweet sauce that you bake them in, along with some onion and streaky bacon . . .

 

The sauce contains everything that from scratch Boston Baked Beans uses.  Molasses . . .  tomato ketchup  . . .

 

Seasonings, brown sugar  . . .  Worcestershire Sauce . . .  the original use Cider vinegar, and you could certainly use cider vinegar instead of the Worcestershire sauce if you wanted to.  I like the Worcestershire sauce myself. 

 

Chopped onion  . . . one medium brown skinned onion, peeled and chopped.  No more, no less . . .  the perfect amount. 

 

You dump the beans into a casserole dish and simmer the sauce ingredients to come to a boil and melt the sugar  . . . into that the onion goes.

 

Half of that gets pour over the beans in the casserole dish  . . .  and then the bacon is laid on top . . .

 

You pour the remaining sauce over top, cover tightly and then bake in a slow oven  . . . 

  

Three hours does it fine.  No need to have them in the oven or slow cooker all day, and they taste just as if you have . . .  I call these perfect baked beans.

Easy Boston Baked Beans

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

These are hands-down the most delicious baked beans and they only take have the time and work of the original  all from scratch version. Every bit as good. Trust me on this.

ingredients:

• 3 (400g) (15.5 ounce) tins of cooked haricot beans (cooked white navy beans0
• 1/2 pound sliced dry cure streaky bacon
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 6 TBS molasses (alternately you can use 3 TBS each golden syrup and dark treacle)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 245g tomato sauce (Ketchup) (1 cup)
• 200g soft light brown sugar (1 cup, packed)
• 2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

instructions:

How to cook Easy Boston Baked Beans

1. Preheat the oven to 165*C/325&F/ gas mark 3. Drain all the beans and rinse them in cold water. Drain them again and then put them into a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish, of small roasting tin. Mix the ketchup, molasses, salt, black pepper, mustard powder, tomato sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring to melt the sugar. Remove from the heat. Stir in the onions. Pour half of this mixture over the beans in the dish. Top the beans with the slices of bacon and then spoon the remainder of the sauce over top. Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminium foil. Bake for 3 hours until the beans are tender and delicious. Serve hot with your favourite accompaniments.

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I would be happy with a plate of these and a slice of bread and butter and nothing else.  We had them with hot dogs and potato salad. These are a great dish to carry along to a pot-luck or a covered-dish supper!  I guarantee you will come home with an empty dish!

Up Tomorrow:  Stilton Steaks with Sweet Potato & Garlic Mash 

Tasty tasty!  

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Maple Baked Beans on Toast

 

Some days are just busy.  The last few days this week I have been busier then a "Hen hauling wood" as my old friend Leona would say!  Writing articles, doing laundry, appointments, etc. They say there is no rest for the wicked!  I must have been rather naughty lately I guess! 

 

Just because you are busy and don't have a lot of time that doesn't mean you can't get something tasty on the supper table!  These Maple Baked Beans on Toast are the perfect light supper entree for when you have a bit more on your plate to handle than normal.

  

With a little bit of pre-prep, they basically cook themselves!  Its amazing what you can do with a few store cupboard ingredients!

 

This tasty recipe uses things I generally have in my larder at all times . . .  tinned cannellini beans, a good bottled tomato passata . . .

   

Maple syrup, a good balsamic vinegar.  Today I used a Maple Balsamic from ilGusto, but you could us any good Balsamic vinegar.  Since I also use pure Maple syrup I felt the Maple Balsamic would add a nice touch and more maple flavour.  It did.

 

I used a bottle of Ciro Passata Rustica today . . . it is lovely and thick and has a nice tomato flavour. If you can't get that you could use ordinary passata or even tomato sauce.  I don't think that it will taste as rich and luxurious however as this does  . . .

 

You will still end up with a terrifically tasty dish however! 

 

I started by softening some thinly sliced shallots in a bit of light olive oil along with some crushed garlic.

 

Try not to let them brown  . . .  you just want them softened  . . .

 

After that you just stir in the passata, the vinegar and maple syrup.  Let that cook for a few minutes and then stir in the beans.  If you think its too thick, you can add a bit of boiling water, but you shouldn't need much.

 

Bring to the boil, cover and then pop into a warm oven where they can braise away for a time until you are ready to serve . . .

 

At that time the flavours will have melded beautifully and you will have a dish fit for a king!  All you need is some buttered toast to ladle it onto!

  

These always go down a real treat.  Vegetarian.  Delicious.  High fibre, low in fat. You can't lose!

Maple Baked Beans on Toast

Yield: 3 - 4

Author: Marie Rayner

These are delicious. If you can think of it, do try to make them the day before. The flavours get even better overnight, but they are still really delicious on the day!

ingredients:

• 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• a splash of olive oil to fry
• 200g tomato passata (3/4 cup, sieved tomatoes)
• 200g tin of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (14 ounce tin)
• 1 TBS Maple Syrup
• 2 TBS Maple Balsamic vinegar
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• hot buttered toast to serve

instructions:

How to cook Maple Baked Beans on Toast

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  
2. Heat the oil in a medium oven-proof casserole dish over low heat.  Add the shallots and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, without browning, until softened.  Add the tomato passata, vinegar, and maple syrup.  If you think it is too thick, you can add a couple TBS of water.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the drained beans.  Cover and place into the preheated oven.
3. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you think they are getting dry, you can add a bit of water. 
4. At this point you can either transfer to a container, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, reheating gently over low heat when you wish to serve.
5. Make some toast, butter it and ladle the hot beans on top.

NOTES:

If you can't get Maple Balsamic, you can use ordinary balsamic vinegar.  Also if you are not fond of maple you can use honey or soft dark brown sugar in an equivalent amount.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I used a good whole wheat bread today as that is what I had, but a rustic sour dough also goes very well.  It also goes without saying that the leftovers taste even better when gently reheated a day afterwards.  In fact you could make them ahead and then just reheat when you are ready to eat.  Happy  days!

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