Boston Baked Beans

Well, I made the move to the Boston area, so now that we’re settling in, it’s time for me to learn how to make the regional specialties, right?  First up… Boston Baked Beans.  I didn’t bother to actually look for a recipe.  I mean, it’s beans, not rocket science.  That being said, I have no idea what special ingredients Bostonians traditionally use, so I just used what sounded good to me.  Am I sounding a bit like Seeley this week?  Perhaps she’s rubbing off on me. 

Anyway, here’s what you’ll need:

3 – 3 ½ cups Great Northern beans
2 cups diced bell pepper
2 small onions
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
7 slices of bacon
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

The first thing you want to do is soak your beans.  Well, so much for sounding like Seeley.  Personally, I think beans should be soaked.  All it takes is little bit of planning ahead, and it makes the actual cooking of them so much easier.  So, inspect your beans, removing any that are discolored and anything that’s not a bean.  Then place them in a large pan and cover them with cool water. 

Make sure there’s a good 2 quarts or so of water, and plenty of room for the beans to grow.  Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of baking soda.  The soda helps get them ready for cooking, and is also supposed to help with gas.  I’m a little skeptical about that last part… we’ll see. 

Cover the beans and leave them overnight.  The next day, drain the water off and give the beans a thorough rinse. 

Pour the beans into a large pan.  If you’re using the same pan you used for soaking, wash it before putting the beans back in.  Pour in 7 cups of water and bring it to a heavy boil.  You’re going to get lots of foam on top. 

Don’t panic.  It’ll go away on its own.  Boil the beans for about 3 minutes, then lower the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for an hour.  Check on them every 15 minutes and make sure they haven’t dried up completely and stir them to keep them from sticking or burning on the bottom.  My beans were very soft at that point, but if yours aren’t, keep simmering them until they become soft, adding water if necessary.  When all is said and done, they should be nice and soft, and there should be very little water left.  Only about a cup will remain in the bottom of the pan.  If you have more than that, just pour some off.

While the beans are cooking, you can use that time to do some of your other prep work.  First, dice up your peppers, onions, and garlic.  When I cut into the red pepper, it was moldy inside (wtf?) so I ended up using just green and yellow.  You can use whatever combination you like, just end up with a total of about 2 cups. 

Next, slice up your bacon into ¾ inch pieces.  Throw it into a hot skillet with a tablespoon of oil. 

You don’t want to cook the bacon all the way, just long enough to render off some of the fat.  Remove it from the pan and place it on a paper towel lined plate.

Allow the pan to cool down just a bit before adding your veg so that you don’t get spattered with hot oil.  Throw them into the pan and sprinkle with a bit of salt. 

Once again, we’re not going to cook these all the way.  You just want to sweat off a bit of the moisture.  Once that’s been accomplished, set them aside and return to your beans.  When they’ve finished cooking, add the brown sugar, tomato sauce, tomatoes, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper. 

Stir gently until they are well distributed and the beans are evenly coated.  Stir in the onion and pepper mixture, and pour the whole thing into a baking dish. 

A glass 3 quart pan worked perfectly for me, but as you can see, it was a close call.  Cooking it on a sheet pan is definitely a requirement in cases like this.  It ensures that your oven will stay clean.  Sprinkle on the bacon and place the whole thing into a preheated 325° oven. 

Bake it for 2 – 2 ½ hours, checking every 30 minutes to make sure it’s not burning.  When it’s done, it should be nice and brown on top, and will be bubbling away. 

Give them a good 15 minutes or so to cool down, then serve them however you like them.  Perfect for a meal on a cold evening, or a side dish anytime. 

So, Boston Baked Beans have been conquered, what comes next?  Boston Cream Pie?  Boston Clam Chowder?  What special dish is your home state known for?           

Meat Ball Mezza

I know spaghetti is what most people think of when someone says meat balls, but not me.

Me, I think mezze. (what did you think I was going to say??) It's basically just a bunch of finger foods eaten as a meal. I love finger foods and small plates. Mezze is along the lines of tapas, which seems to be the trendy Spanish version. This is a more Mediterranean thing, like with hummus and pita... and hey! We already know how to make those!

Mediterranean Meaty Balls in Tomato Sauce

What you need:

• ½ lb lean ground beef
• 1 c rice
• 1 egg
• ¼ c parsley
• 1 tbsp mint
• 2 tbsp dill
• ½ onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ½ c grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 1 tin of diced tomatoes
• ¼ c flour
• 1 tbsp butter

Yeah, yeah, I know, I missed a few things in the pic. I hope you know what butter looks like.

What you gotta do:

Chop the mint, onion, garlic, and dill.

Put half of the mint, onion, garlic, and dill, along with half of the cayenne, cumin and coriander in a bowl with the meat, egg and rice.

Grate the cheese and add it to the meaty bowl too. Okay, that's a pretty picture but a much too small bowl. Make sure your bowl is big enough or you're going to have to wash two.

Mix and mash this all together by hand.

In a shallow pan, heat a bit of olive oil.

Add the other half of the mint, onion, garlic, and dill, along with half of the cayenne, cumin and coriander to the pan and sautee for a minute.

Um, okay, yes, those ingredients are already in meaty balls. The space time continuum does not apply to this blog.

Add the tomatoes. I really recommend using the diced, rather than crushed. You get a bit of texture in the chunks, and a thinner, lighter “sauce” in which to poach the meaty balls. I imagine you’re looking at the volume and thinking there’s no way that’s enough sauce for your spaghetti. It’s not. This isn’t sauce for spaghetti. It’s sauce for meaty balls.

Put the flour into a shallow bowl or plate. Roll the meat/rice mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. You should get between 20 and 24 of them. Not bad for only half a pound of meat. This is a very budget friendly dish.

Drop them into the flour

and roll them around to coat them with the flour. You’re going to get sticky and messy here. I recommend having one hand as your flour hand, and one as your meaty ball hand.

Once they’re fully coated, gently shake off any excess, then drop them into the simmering tomatoes. Don’t worry if a bit of flour gets into the sauce, it’s supposed to. It’s there to thicken things up.

Add a tbsp or two of butter to the sauce around the same time as you're adding the meaty balls.

Once they’re all in and cozy, cover them and let them cook for about 10 minutes.

Gently roll them over and then cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Shaking the pan back and forth a bit may be enough to roll them over, but if it's not, be careful. These are tender meaty balls. Ticklish even.

If you don't feel up to doing a mezze meal, these are great with a side of rice (season it Greek style with olive oil, lemon juice, and mint in the water!) or roasted potatoes, and a salad.

If you do feel like mezza, serve them on a shallow plate nestled in their sauce.

Besides the hummus and pita, I think pickled things are an absolute requirement. And not just olives! Go for the pickled beans, aparagus, carrots, onions, cucumbers even! A bit of tiropita (like spanikopita but without the spinach, cheese only!) is handy. But don't forget the tzaziki to dip!

What's your favourite pickled vegetable??