Maple Bacon Beans

These beans are proof that some of the best dishes are really quite simple. Bean, bacon, onions, mustard and some maple syrup make a perfect combination. With some breadcrumbs on top or a slice of toast, it makes a great winter dinner. In summer, it makes a great side for picnics and barbeques. As with most things, the better the bacon the better the results. Tonight I used 2 slices of hickory-smoked bacon from Zingermans along with 4oz of salt pork.

Adapted from Gourmet Cookbook (p.269)

2 Cups (14 oz.) Navy beans, dried
7 oz Salt pork or bacon, whole or diced
1 Cup Onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
2/3 cup Maple syrup
1 teaspoon Mustard, dry (or 1Tbs wet)
4 Cups Water (or substitute up to 1 Cup white wine)

1. Soak beans in 2 quarts cold water in refrigerator for 8 hours or more. Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 300F
3. Mix all ingredients in an ovenproof 3 quart or larger pot or baking dish.
4. Bring to boil on stove.
5. Cover tightly and transfer to oven.
6. Bake 2 hours or until beans are tender.
7. Uncover and bake 60 to 90 min more

Pressure cooker method: Replace steps 3-6 by cooking all ingredients in pressure cooker for 40 minutes. Finish with step 7 in oven or on steam mode in pressure cooker.

pressure cooker

At my request, my mother bought us a pressure cooker for Christmas. Up until recently, had anyone asked me about pressure cooking, I would have given the vague reply that my mom used to can things in hers. I can picture it on her stove, the steam vent spinning and sputtering around on the top, emitting a steady line of steam. Several years ago there was an incident in which the cooker got stuck shut with a whole batch of what my mom said was her best sauerkraut. My dad was able to rescue the kraut by sawing off the top somehow, but she had to get a new pressure cooker. I didn't want it so much to can things, but to cook things rapidly, specifically beans and whole grains. I like to buy beans dried, both because they are cheaper, and often tastier, but I often forget to soak them in advance. Thus, the pressure cooker. In the fast few days, we cooked wheatberries (only 30 minutes!) and collard greens (20!). I also discovered that our cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Deborah Madison) has many variations for using the pressure cooker. My model is especially nice, because it doesn't use the stove, has low/high pressure, and saute and slow-cooking functions.