Baked Beans, New England Style, for a Snowy Day

For years, I've always wanted to try New England Baked Beans

For my early cookbook reading was

Mrs. Appleyard, Gladys Taber and Mary Mason Campbell

New Englanders all

Who baked beans in bean pots

slowly

in a low oven

I even have a bean pot

And have had "forever"

But I've never baked beans in it.

Oh, we eat "baked beans"

but Kansas baked beans.

Canned pork and beans, drained

And brown sugar and catsup and onions and bacon and molasses and BBQ sauce is added

Poured into not a bean pot

But a casserole dish

And baked fairly slowly until thick and gooey.

Great

with barbecue!

And we take dried beans

soak them overnight in boiling water

Add them to a pot with a ham bone, a chopped carrot, some onion

and perhaps some herbs

And the whole simmered on top of the stove

Until done.

The ham, taken off the bone and added back to the beans

And eaten with warm cornbread.

But New England baked beans,

I've never eaten

nor have I ever made

Even though that bean pot has taken up valuable cabinet space

for about 40 years.

But, every January, when I clean cabinets, closets and drawers,

it always makes the cut

And stays.

For one of these days, I think, I'll use it to 

make New England Baked Beans.

We had snow this week

Snow days are good days

for beans.

I had several recipes to chose from,

I chose one in 

The Tasha Tudor Cookbook

And dinner that night --

I kept the midwestern tradition of serving cornbread

with the beans.

They were good,

I'd make them again

But I think I'll try a new recipe next time

Perhaps the one from Mary Mason Campbell

or from an old cookbook

The New England Yankee Cookbook

The recipe

From Tash'a cookbook:

In the section on

"Accompaniments"

But I thought it was a dinner entree

A Saturday night dinner entree!

Tasha Tudor's Baked Beans

Tasha states that she got the recipe from children's photographer and friend, Nell Dorr.   Nell Dorr, Tasha writes, gave memorable supper parties . . . her famous baked beans and homemade bread were always served, and no other baked beans can compare.

2 cups pea beans

pinch baking soda

2 medium onions, peeled

1 slice bacon

2 T. light molasses

1 quart tomato juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. dark brown sugar, divided

1/2 pound good sausage meat

1/2 6. Coleman's dry English mustard

Wash and pick over the beans, then parboil them until their skins pop when you blow on them.    Drain, cover with fresh water, add a pinch of baking soda and simmer until the beans squish when you pinch them.    Drain.

Now put the onions in the bottom of a bean pot, add half the beans and the slice of bacon, the molasses, 1 cup of the tomato juice, and salt and pepper.    Sprinkle with two teaspoons of the brown sugar.   Layer the rest of the beans with sausage meat, English mustard and the remainder of the brown sugar.    Fill the pot with tomato juice to cover the beans.

Preheat the oven to 250.

Cover the beans and bel them all day in a slow oven.    About halfway through baking, taste for seasoning.   Be careful not to overdo the brown sugar.    Stir the beans 2 to 3 times during baking.    If the liquid boils away, just add more tomato juice making sure to keep the beans covered during baking.     Bake for about 8 hours or until the beans are tender.

It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.