I always wanted to try making my own baked beans, for many reasons, taste, lower sugar content and the challenge. Well, it's not that difficult, hardly a challenge at all albeit a long process, so don't decide to make them for lunch at 11am!
You need to know that the beans must soak at least 12 hours (overnight is a good option) and then you have 30 to 60 minutes bean cooking time on the stove top, then a further hour or more in the oven. The times aren't exact, because it depends on the type of beans and even the quality. I used organic white beans.
Ingredients:
- 500g white beans soaked overnight
- 400-500ml tomato purée
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 t ground coriander,
- 1/2 t paprika
Method:
Drain
the beans, place them in the pot with fresh water and bring to a
boil. Simmer for 30 minutes to one hour until soft but not too soft. Drain, reserving the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 165°C.In
a cast iron pot (Dutch oven) or any other oven-proof pot with a lid, lightly fry the the onion and shallot, cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add
the garlic and cook for another minute.Stir
in the tomato purée, apple cider vinegar,
Worcestershire sauce, ground coriander, paprika and pepper. Add the beans and about 1&1/2 cups of the reserved bean water.Simmer for a minute or two to get it nice and hot.
Transfer
the Dutch oven with the lid on to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for
1 to 2 hours or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened,
removing the lid during the last 20-30 minutes to help the sauce
thicken. Again, I say check your beans after an hour then prolong baking time, if needed. If the beans look dry, add a little more of the reserved bean water (or water) Beans can vary from batch to batch and you may end up either
needing to add more liquid if the beans are too dry or you may need to
bake the beans longer with the lid off if there is too much liquid.
Adjust as needed.Serve
immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate until ready to
serve. The baked beans can also be sterilised in jars for future use.
