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Side: Maple Baked Beans

Source of Recipe

From "Maple Syrup Cookbook" by Ken Haedrich


Recipe Introduction

"Baked beans, like chili, is one of those dishes that ignites controversy. Almost every variable can be debated. At the risk of adding fuel to the fire, here is my own favorite maple version."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 pound dried navy or pea beans
â—¦ â…“ cup vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 cup chopped onion
â—¦ 1 green bell pepper, chopped
â—¦ 1 stalk celery, chopped
â—¦ 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ ½ cup pure maple syrup
â—¦ ½ cup tomato purée or crushed tomatoes
â—¦ 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
â—¦ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

Pick the beans over, removing any rubble such as sticks and pebbles. Rinse them well, then place in a large bowl with plenty of hot water. Let soak for at least 1 hour, or as long as overnight. Drain, then combine the beans with about 4 quarts fresh water in a large pot.

Bring to a boil, and then decrease the heat.
Simmer, partially covered, just until tender, 1 ½ to 2 hours. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking water, and put the beans into a large bowl.

While the beans cook, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, pepper, and celery and sauté for several minutes, adding the garlic at the end. Remove from the heat. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Whisk together 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, the maple syrup, tomato purée, molasses, vinegar, mustard, parsley, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables and the maple mixture to the beans; mix well. Pour the beans into a large shallow casserole dish and cover tightly.

Bake until the beans are soft and cloaked in a thick, saucy glaze, 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours. Check periodically to make sure they have enough liquid, adding more of the reserved cooking water, if necessary.

Makes about 6 servings