Proper Baked Beans

 

When I bought Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food some time ago his recipe for Proper Baked Beans caught my eye. But I never actually made it. Then I saw Jamie Oliver’s Comfort also has a recipe for homemade baked beans. I was wondering if it would really be worth the effort. It is, believe me! These are so tasty. And it is not really any effort. A few minutes preparation and then it cooks away in the oven.

In Tom Kerridge’s recipe he uses dried beans which involves soaking overnight before cooking and then starting this recipe. While I assume this is a great way to make this dish even cheaper to make, it is far too much faff for my liking. You can use any white beans you like, Tom uses haricot blanc, I went with tinned cannellini beans as per Jamie’s recipe. I also used smoked paprika which I loved in it, himself was not as keen. It gives it a lovely smoky warmth without the spice, but leave it out if you prefer.

You can make a large batch of this and freeze it in individual portions. This would be lovely with some mash or a baked potato for an easy midweek meal. I made this on a Friday night so it was ready to just reheat for Saturday morning breakfast, on toast, topped with a fried egg. Perfect!

I almost didn’t post this recipe. I was reading the very funny Tenderness on the Block’s 79 Blog Post Ideas  when lo and behold, no.1 was Baked Beans on Toast! I thought, “She’s right, it’s ridiculous – I can’t post this!” But then I thought, it’s in my drafts ready to go so feck it! I didn’t put all that work in just to scrap it.

Make this vegetarian by leaving out the bacon and Worcestershire sauce.

Makes 4-6 portions

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. rapeseed or sunflower oil
• 150g smoked streaky bacon diced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• ½-1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree
• 75g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• 250ml water
• Worcestershire sauce
• Hot sauce – such as Tabasco
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160c/140c fan/gas mark 3.
• Heat the oil in a large oven proof dish over a medium heat. Add the streaky bacon and fry until crisp.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook until the onion is soft. Crush the garlic and add this with the smoked paprika and tomato puree to the onions and bacon. Cook for another few minutes.
• Drain the cannellini beans and add them to the pan.
• Pour in the tinned tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and water. Bring to the boil and then add a few dashes of the Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces.
• Reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until the sauce has thickened and beans are soft but still keeping their shape.

 Served on Arbutus toasted bread topped with a crispy fried egg. Yum!

Click here for a print friendly version – Proper Baked Beans – A Cookbook Collection