I get asked a lot about baked beans, but being a native Californian, I’m more helpful with things like Drunken Beans or refrieds. The January issue of Food + Wine magazine has a wonderful dish that takes the best of the baked bean tradition and matches it with some great heirlooms, and mentions Rancho Gordo as well. I can tell you what I’m doing this weekend…
Maple-Glazed Beans
from Food + Wine Magazine, January 2008
Ingredients
* 1 pound yellow eye or navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
* 2 cloves
* 1 small onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 pound meaty bacon, fat side scored
* 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
* 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 2 teaspoons dry mustard
* 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large pot, cover the beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the skins peel back when you blow on them, about 1 hour. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid and drain the beans.
2. Transfer the beans to a 10-by-13-inch baking dish. Stick the cloves in a slice of onion; nestle the onion slices, bay leaves and bacon, fat side up, among the beans.
3. In a bowl, whisk 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid with the maple syrup, Worcestershire, dry mustard, 1/4 cup of the ketchup and 1 teaspoon of the salt; pour over the beans and bake for 3 hours.
4. Stir the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt into 1 cup of the cooking liquid; pour over the beans and bake for 1 1/2 hours longer.
5. Whisk the remaining cooking liquid and ketchup with the Dijon mustard and pour over the beans. Bake for 1 1/2 hours longer, until the beans are richly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the cloves and bay leaves, and serve.
Recipe by Marcia Kiesel
From 100 Tastes to Try in ‘08
This recipe originally appeared in January, 2008.
©2008 Food and Wine. Reproduced here without permission.
