Monday, November 7, 2011

Homemade baked beans

This was a popular dish with many asking for the recipe! It's quite simple but requires a bit of pre planning if you're using fresh beans. You can use canned beans but they won't have the same bite that fresh ones have. The fresh ones have a better flavour as well. This is one of those everyday foods, where you can cook up a big batch on sunday and make it last through the week!

Ingredients to serve 2
2 cups dried cannelini beans
3 good sized tomatoes
2 celery sticks
1-2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 tsp mustard (use your favourite kind but not the sweet bavarian kind) 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried thyme/1 sprig fres
1 can tomatoes
Bbq sauce to taste

Method
1) Put the beans in a container and put double the amount of water in to cover them and leave them to soak overnight. They will double in size
2) Drain the beans and rinse once, do not use the soaking liquid for cooking, I've been told it causes gas!
3) In a pan, cover beans with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 1-2 hours until they've softened. Dont cook them until they're really soft, as they will cook again when you make the sauce. 
4) Drain the beans again.
5) Add all the other ingredients, give it a stir and let it simmer for 15mins, then taste it, and adjust the flavours to suit you.

If its too vinegary - add some brown sugar, or vice versa. Its important to strike a balance but you do need some tang! Add chilli if you wish. We used a homemade bbq sauce from a friend of S, so you can use what you like. Chutney would give it an interesting twist as well!

I served it piled high with sausages and bacon! If you want to you can add crispy bacon into the beans, which is common - and would be delicious! I was serving it with bacon anyway so didnt bother!

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