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Chocolate Baked Beans




Source of Recipe


Essential Best Foods Cookbook, by Dana Jacobi

Makes 8 servings

1 pound navy beans -- soaked for 8 hours
-- or quick-soaked (below)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 cups hot water
-- plus more as needed
1 small onion
2 whole cloves
1 ounce Scharffen Berger Mocha Dark Chocolate -- chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the beans and set aside.

In a medium bean pot, combine the tomato sauce, molasses, honey, mustard, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to a boil. Add the beans and hot water. Halve the onion vertically, stopping just above the root tip to keep the halves attached. Turn the onion 90 degrees and repeat. Stick in the cloves and add the onion to the beans. Cover the pot.

Bake the beans for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F. Bake for 2 hours, adding 1 cup warm water if needed to keep the beans submerged. Check every hour; bake until the beans are al dente, adding water 1/2 cup at a time, as needed.

Stir in the chocolate and maple syrup. Bake 1 to 2 hours, until the beans are very tender, still adding water by the 1/2 cup to keep the beans submerged. Remove and discard the onion.

Quicker Beans: To save time try the quick-soak method: Place the beans in a deep pot and add water to cover by 2 inches. Cook, covered, over medium heat until the water just boils. Remove from the heat and let the covered pot sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and finish cooking according to your recipe.

Another Way: In place of Scharffen Berger Mocha Dark Chocolate, use 1 ounce dark chocolate (70 to 85%) plus 2 tablespoons brewed espresso coffee. Use a small Dutch oven in place of a bean pot.

Quicker Beans: Try this quick-soak method. Place the beans in a deep pot and add water to cover by 2 inches. Cook, covered, over medium heat until the water just boils. Remove from the heat and let the covered pot sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and finish cooking according to your recipe.

Note: Author enjoys this dish topped with a poached egg or used for Baked Beans on Toast (see separate recipe).

Nutrition:

Per serving: 271 calories, 2 g fat. 1 g saturated fat, 12 g protein. 54 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber

Source: Essential Best Foods Cookbook, by Dana Jacobi

Categories: Beans, Chocolate

Recipe from the files of Judi Mae Phelps