Boston Baked Beans
Source of Recipe
From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart
Recipe Introduction
"Homemade baked beans were a staple in my childhood home. Not 'baked' beans out of a can, but dried beans that were carefully picked over, soaked, rinsed three times, boiled three times, then added to an old-fashioned brown pot with all of Mom's favorite enhancements, and slow-baked for hours until the beans were soft to the tooth and the juices in the pot ran thick and brown-sugary. My brothers and sisters and I fought over the small bits of crispy salt pork that mysteriously rose to the top of the pot during baking, and we fought over the small pieces of onion that stayed down at the bottom, but most of all we fought over who would have the last bit of scrapings from around the sides of the pot when there were absolutely no more beans to be had. For this recipe, there's no need to presoak the beans; they cook long enough to reach the proper texture. This definitive 'one-pot dish' is a meal on its own, with the customary Boston brown bread on the side and a garnish of piccalillia relish of pickled vegetables, also known as chow-chow in Pennsylvania and parts of the South."
List of Ingredients
◦ 2 onions, sliced into -inch rounds
◦ cup ketchup
◦ ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
◦ cup packed dark brown sugar
◦ 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
◦ 1 teaspoon coarse salt
◦ ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
◦ 1 pound dried navy beans, sorted and rinsed
◦ cup unsulfured molasses
◦ cup cider vinegar
◦ 4 ounces salt pork, rinsed and cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices
Recipe
Preheat oven to 275 F.
Place onion slices in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid so they cover the bottom of the pot, then add ketchup and Dijon mustard and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Top with beans in an even layer; pour molasses, then vinegar over beans. Lay salt pork slices over the beans, covering them completely (slices can come up the edges of the pot a bit since they will shrink in the warm oven). Fill with hot water to come up just to the bottom of the salt pork.
Cover pot and bake 8 hours, without stirring; check every few hours to make sure that the liquid level is still above the beans (add more hot water as necessary). Remove lid and cook 1 hour more (9 hours total); the liquid should thicken during this time. Let cool about 20 minutes before serving. (Any leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days; allow the beans to cool completely before transferring to airtight containers.)
Serves 8 to 10
❧ Boston Brown Bread:
◦ Unsalted butter, softened, for cans and parchment
◦ 1 cup rye flour
◦ 1 cup whole-wheat flour
◦ 1 cup cornmeal
◦ 2 teaspoons baking soda
◦ 2 teaspoons coarse salt
◦ cup unsulfured molasses
◦ 2 cups buttermilk
Fit the bottom of a large pot with a wire rack. Fill pot one-third of the way with water and bring to a boil. Generously butter two large cans, such as 28-ounce tomato cans or 1-pound coffee tins (do not use enamel-lined cans).
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt until combined. Stir in molasses and buttermilk until just combined. Divide batter between prepared cans. Cover each with a piece of buttered parchment. Place a piece of foil on top and secure with a rubber band. Carefully place cans in the boiling water; the water should come three-fourths of the way up the cans. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hours, adding more hot water to pot if necessary (check every 30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 300 F. Using tongs, lift cans from the water. Carefully remove loaves from the cans, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, just to allow some of the moisture to evaporate. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
Makes 2 loaves
❧ Piccalilli:
◦ 4 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
◦ 1 red onion, thinly sliced
◦ 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced into 1-inch-long pieces
◦ 1 medium, firm green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cored and thinly sliced
◦ 1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
◦ cup coarse salt
◦ 2 cups sugar
◦ 2 tablespoons pickling spices, tied in cheesecloth
◦ 1 teaspoon turmeric
◦ 1 tablespoon celery seeds
◦ 2 cups cider vinegar
◦ 2 cups water
Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl. Add salt, and mix well. Add enough cold water to cover vegetables and let stand at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Drain; rinse well under running water and drain again.
In a large nonreactive pot, whisk together remaining ingredients until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a nonreactive container to cool completely. Piccalilli can be refrigerated, covered tightly, up to 3 weeks.
Makes 3 quarts
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