Baked Beans New England Style

how many shades of brown can you find in this photo?

Below zero in March and I have some cold days out on the slopes in my immediate future. Time to practice up on some BBQ staples. Raise your hand if you like baked beans. Nice. How about a cold bean sandwich on soft bread with a little mustard. Not as many hands but still a few. My youngest sister was the champion bean maker in our house. Hers were so good I never bothered to learn for the longest time.

Homemade beans are a thrifty New Englander's birthright. Slow cooked in a crock pot or in our case the worlds most expensive crock pot, the Aga's Simmer Oven. You can taste the sweet and bitter molasses, smell the hint of maple and feel the warmth of a home cooked meal. I put these in the oven in the morning and headed out the door for a day of skiing at Cannon Mt in New Hampshire. Fresh baked beans and a big fluffy dog were waiting for us upon return.

Let's see how this went down in the Aga Kitchen. I soaked the beans the nite before but they will cook just fine even if you don't soak your beans.

holy bubbling baked beans Batman!

Baked Beans New England Style

Gather up these tools and ingredients

• 3 qt heavy pan with a nice fitting lid
• 5 cups boiling water. Put the water in the Roasting Oven to heat up while you are gathering the rest of the ingredients. Always thinking of ways to save heat, use the oven!
• 2 cups dry navy beans, picked thru and soaked overnight or not (more nutrious if you skip the soak)
• 3oz salt pork cut into 5 equal pieces simmered in water for 5 minutes*
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 onion small dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce or ketchup

* If you are a vegan / vegetarian you should skip the salt pork because it's made from an animal

Put everything together in the pot except the tomato product (the acidity toughens the legumes), mix real well and add hot water from Roasting Oven. Put the lid on and in the Simmer Oven for 12 hours or so.

Give them a nice stir, smells good. Add tomato product

Remove lid and into the Baking Oven to cook another hour or so.

Taste and adjust seasoning,

Cranberry Bean Salad

either it was real good or these are members of the Clean Plate ClubI had no plans to use tonites meal as a post. My lack of photos is a testament to my poor planning. I had a pretty simple game plan for dinner and already knew what my next post was going to be. No need to document and keep notes on this meal, or was there?  I'll make a warm bean salad using some Cranberry Beans I picked up at a new co-op near here. A risotto with shrimp. Easy breezy.

Here is where the wheels went off. The dried cranberry beans are from a farm in Maine and known for their creamy texture.  I added aromatics that  sweat in a little olive oil. I used leeks, onions, and carrots from my CSA and a touch of garlic and parsley. Again nothing earth shattering here. The key to this salad was a few heaping forks full  of pickled peppers I put up this summer. Banana, jalapeno and cherry peppers sliced very thin in a tart cider vinegar brine. These added the right touch of heat and acidity, smooth it all out with a little grapeseed oil, adjust seasoning and I had it.

I made a basic risotto with a very rich chicken stock and shrimp with a little spice rub and basil. Just before the risotto is finished I add the shrimp split in half. Right before serving I fold in some butter and fresh spinach.

Rich shrimp and rice topped with a heaping spoonful of creamy cranberry beans.  I wish you were here.

best photo I could get, sorry

Here's what I did, best I can remember

• 1 cup dried cranberry beans or bean of your choice picked soaked and cooked
• 1 onion small dice
• 1 leek white part mostly small dice washed well
• 2 carrots, medium dice
• parsley
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• a 2 count of grapeseed oil
• 3 big forks full of pickled peppers. You can buy them. I suggest you mix a few kinds together.
• salt n' peppa

sweat the aromatics in a little oil and mix with beans

add everything else, taste and adjust

if you find it too cloying for your taste you can thin out the salad with a few tablespoons of hot water

I will make the leftovers into a bean sandwich for lunch, photos, promise

Cook like you mean it, G

homemade chorizo patty and bean sandwich aka pork & beans