Quicker Boston Baked Beans

With Memorial Day fast approaching, the aroma of grilled food will be soon wafting all over our BBQ loving neighborhood-- I'm excited!  We enjoy grilling.  We also love baked beans as a side dish, and I usually buy my favorite commercial  brand-- Bush's Baked Beans.  Until now, I've never attempted to make my own Boston Baked Beans.  I was intimidated, I think, because I envisioned having to cook the beans for long hours-- and I wondered if I needed a special pot.

When my issue of the  June/July 2011 issue of Cook's Country Magazine arrived, I read it from cover-to-cover.  This magazine belongs to the family of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated.  I love their recipes, so I read every article from start to finish.  According to the Boston Baked Beans article, "most recipes call for at least six hours of cooking time in the oven.  The test kitchen decided to develop a version that would cook in two hours!   After reading the ingredients list, I realized I had everything on hand.   My husband was making pulled pork, on the Weber.  I planned to make the Carolina Red Slaw (also in this magazine issue) and I liked the idea of having baked beans as a side dish.  For ingredients, I began with a one-pound bag of Navy Beans, picked through and rinsed.

The test kitchen researched baking soda, and realized that, by adding 1 Tablespoon, it would cut the cooking time of the beans in half. Better yet, I didn't have to presoak the beans!  The beans were brought to a boil in a Dutch oven, and then briskly simmered on medium-high for 20 minutes; then drained.  Meanwhile...

I cut six ounces of salt pork into 1/4" pieces...

...and measured out the remaining ingredients; then preheated the oven to 350F.  (A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.)

The salt pork was cooked over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Next, I added chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. I stirred in 3 cups of water, the beans, brown sugar, 1/4 cup molasses, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon mustard, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper-- then  brought it to a boil. I transferred the Dutch oven, covered, to the oven  and cooked them  until beans were  nearly tender, about 1 1/2 hours.  They smelled so good, while they were baking.  I was anxious to try them...

Whoops!  The water had pretty much evaporated.  I should have heeded the recipe note to increase the water by an extra cup, since I used a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven.  I added a bit more water and then gave the beans a stir-- problem solved. It was time to taste.

TASTING NOTE #1:  The beans were perfectly cooked, thank goodness.  To me, the flavor was was very savory.  I wasn't sure if it was the Worcestershire sauce, or too much Dijon mustard.   Personally,  I was sorely tempted to add tomato paste. But, the article said, "Although many recipes call for tomato products, native New Englander's assured us that they had no place in an authentic Boston baked bean recipe."  I reconsidered what to do, as I much prefer a sweeter version of baked beans. Hey, I'm from California!

I decided to add an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar and some honey. Yes, honey!  I'm sorry if this offends anyone from Boston, but this did the trick for me.

FINAL TASTING NOTES:  I have to be honest with all of you. On a scale from 1-5, 5 meaning that the beans were out-of-this-world great, I give this recipe a 3.5... only because I think Bush's Beans have spoiled my palate. HOWEVER, my husband and son loved these beans!  They were completely devoured by day #2, and my son asked me to make them again.  Therefore, my suggestion is that you can either adapt this recipe if you like a less savory version of Boston Baked Beans.  Just to be a bit rebellious, I might go ahead and add some tomato paste, next time.  I can't help it, but I love the tang of some concentrated tomato.  Just don't tell anyone you know, who lives on the East Coast!  I'll just rename them "California Baked Beans", okay?

Here's the recipe:

Cheers!

Ina Garten's Braised 4-Hour Lamb & Provencal French Beans

I have stubbornly held on to Summer, even though Labor Day has come and gone. I still have summer tomatoes to pick, and I'm still wearing shorts and flip-flops on the weekends!  Just last weekend, we grilled Rib-Eye steaks and were sipping cold beer, while watching the Salinas Air Show from the top of our neighborhood hill. Finally, I surrendered my grocery budget to a beautiful display of pears, apples, squash and root vegetables at Whole Foods.  With that said, today we are waiting for our first rain shower and I have a log in the fireplace, waiting to be lit for a cozy night at home.  Yes, I'm beginning to let go of  summer melons and iced teas-- slowly, but surely.

Hello, Fall!  Welcome.  I really mean it. My pressure cooker and slow cooker are ready for soups and stews.  Bring on the root vegetables, squash and bread baking! So with that said, I present to you my first offering of a delicious way to prepare lamb.   I know, I know.... some of you don't like lamb.  Neither does my husband.  Stick with me, and I will show you how my husband changed his mind.

I caught this episode on the Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa show.   This recipe was adapted by Ina Garten from a traditional French 7-Hour Lamb.   However, Ina says that she tested the recipe a few times and found that 4-hours was the perfect time to braise a leg of lamb in white wine, lots of garlic and herbs-- the end result being tender meat that can literally be removed with a spoon.  I was drooling while watching Ina spooning mounds of Provencal French Beans around the finished lamb.   That was it!  I was inspired to make this. The very next day, I bought a leg of lamb at Whole Foods--

 

The  butcher was kind enough to cut a leg of lamb to 3 pounds.  This is New Zealand Lamb... grass fed.  $21.00 might seem pricey, but this will feed at least 8 people. Here we go:

Season the lamb with coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper.  Now for lots of fresh garlic, thyme and rosemary...

After reading the reviews from folks who made this, some said that "it lacked flavor".  I used a LOT of garlic, and then I decided to add one onion to flavor the braising liquid. Think that will work?

Sear the lamb, on really high heat with olive oil. Set the lamb aside.

Add white wine to deglaze all that tasty brown stuff.  Ina adds water, but I added homemade chicken stock,  into the Dutch oven.. Now, add the herbs, garlic and onion...add the lamb and cover. Place into a 300F oven and let it cook for 3 hours.  Next, make the beans (which I soaked the night before):

Rinse Northern White Beans and prepare a mire poix (chopped carrots, onion and celery).  Next, I add fresh parsley, thyme, garlic and rosemary.  I added more chicken stock and simmered the beans for more than Ina says she did-- like over an hour.  How's the lamb doing?

Oooh... falling off the bone!

Remove the lamb, the herbs and drain the liquid...

Push the garlic through a sieve, for more flavor. Discard everything else. Reduce the liquid until thick-- about 15 minutes. Time to serve! Add the sauce over the lamb, and serve with the beans.

Did four hours do the trick?

You bet!  Tender!  No, that's not a spoon.  But that would have worked, too.

VERDICT:  The lamb was tender and flavorful.  The braising liquid had plenty of flavor, just the right notes of garlic, without being overpowering.  I'm glad that I added an onion, because the broth had plenty of flavor. The beans..oh, the beans!  This is French comfort food that served 8 people.  Um, only we are only three in the family.  Suffice it to say that this was delicious the next day. I had to fight over it with my boys, who loved it.

The printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.  Thanks Ina Garten!