BEANS, BEANS, brings to mind a song, but, how about some recipes? Dried Beans: tend to double in bulk as they cook

Boston Baked Beans

From Fanny Farmer; the basic recipe

2 cups California or New York pea beans

1/4 pound fat salt pork

1 onion if desired

1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup light molasses 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

Wash beans and discard imperfect ones. Cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain and cover with fresh water. Cook very slowly until skins burst when you take a few on the tip of a spoon and blow on them. Drain, reserving cooking liquid

Scald pork. Cut off 1/4 –inch slice of the fat and put in a 2- quart bean pot with the onion, if used. Cut through rind of remaining pork every half inch, making cuts 1 inch deep. Put beans in pot and bury pork in beans, leaving rind exposed.

Bring reserved water to boiling point and add 1 cup to the salt, molasses, mustard and sugar which have been mixed together. Pour mixture over beans and add enough more water to cover beans.

Cover bean pot. Bake 6-8 hours at 300 degrees. Add water as needed to keep beans moist. Uncover the last hour of baking so that rind will be brown and crisp. If pork mixed with lean is preferred, use less salt. Serves 6

Greenway Baked Beans

2 cans Campbell’s Baked Beans in tomato sauce

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 large onion cut in 1-inch cubes (more if you wish)

2-3 slices thick bacon cut in 2-inch slices

Place canned baked beans in bean pot or casserole. Combine molasses and mustard, stir into beans. Stir in onion pieces. Top with slices of uncooked bacon. Bake for about 1 hour at 325 degrees or until liquid around beans has thickened and turned a dark brown. Stir in bacon. Can be reheated.

Horn and Hardart’s

Baked Beans

This was an “Automat” that opened with the promise “Less work for Mother”. It had 34 restaurants in NYC and 15 retail stores. The First Automat opened in 1903. The recipe is from New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill

1 pound great Northern or navy beans, soaked overnight in cold water

1 cup chopped onions 4 slices bacon, diced 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2/3 cup molasses 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups tomato juice

Salt to taste

Drain the beans and place them in a large saucepan. Add fresh water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are almost tender 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Place the beans in a baking pot or casserole. Stir in the onions, bacon, sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, molasses, vinegar, tomato juice, and 1 cup water.

Bake the beans, uncovered, until very tender about 4 hours. Check the beans occasionally while baking and add more water, if necessary to prevent the mixture from drying out. Season with salt to taste.

How about?

Best Little Beans in Texas

From “Tex-Mex and Texas cooking”

3 cups dried pinto beans

Water

1/2 pound salt pork or ham hock

2-3 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon oregano

Salt*

Wash beans, cover with water and soak overnight.

Drain beans and cover again with water. Add all ingredients except salt

Bring to boil, Reduce heat and simmer in covered pot about 3 hours or until beans are tender (add water if needed)

*Before serving add salt only if seasoning with ham

Frijoles Refritos

Recipe says: “these are just recycled pinto beans with some other stuff in ‘em”

Cook leftover beans until most or all of liquid is gone. Drain any excess liquid and mash remaining beans.

In large heavy skillet with bacon drippings, fry mashed beans until they are thoroughly heated and mixed with bacon drippings.

Serve immediately with cheese on top.