RECIPE: Tuscan Baked Beans

18 years ago

Ingredients:

1 lb dried cannellini beans

4 T EVOO

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 oz. Pancetta, roughly chopped

3 leaves fresh sage (if fresh not available, use 4t chopped fresh parsley).

1 Leek, finely sliced

1x14 oz. can plum tomatoes, chopped with their juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper.

1. Carefully pick over the beans, discarding any stones or other particles. Place the eans in a large bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. In a small saucepan, cook pancetta until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan and set aside. Heat the oil and sautee the garlice cloves and sage leaves for 3-4 minutes until garlic is tender but not brown. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large deep baking dish combine the beans with the leek and tomatoes. Stir in the oil with the garlic and sage. Add pancetta. Add enough fresh water to cover the beans by 1 inch. Mix well. Cover the dish with a lid or foil, and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 1 3/4 hours.

4. Remove the dish from the oven, stir the beans, and season with salt and pepper. Return the beans to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 7-8 minutes before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature.

**For vegetarian version, simply omit the pancetta.

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Comments (11)

san_
18 years ago
this is VERY different from any recipe i've seen before and i will look forward to trying it out--thanx, adrienne! and congratulations again on achieving your graduate degree!
ruthanna_gw
18 years ago
I am definitely going to try these. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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These have different spices than many baked bean recipes but we really like this recipe. My cousin worked with our grandmother to measure out the ingredients for our family cookbook and I have left the story that's included in there with the recipe. --------- In her early teens, my grandmother was being courted by a handsome boy who lived on his familyÂs farm. Once his parents had determined that the young couple "was serious", his mother began teaching Nana to prepare their favorite family recipes. But alas, soon my grandfather came along and her beau was out of the picture but not his motherÂs recipe for these sweet and spicy brown beans, which have always been known in our family as: FARM BOY BEANS 1 pound dried great northern or navy beans 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup finely chopped celery leaves 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/8 tsp. ground allspice 1 bay leaf, crushed (center spine removed) 1/2 pound ham or salt pork or 7 strips bacon Wash and sort beans. Place beans and 3 cups of water in large bean pot. In bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except meat. Pour over beans in pot; stir well. Refrigerate 48 hours. Stir and add meat before cooking. Bake covered in 300 degree over for 6 hours. Uncover; add 1/2 cup hot water if needed. Bake one hour longer. Note: This was her original recipe but I have modified the cooking technique a bit: Soak the beans overnight, then change the water and parcook them by cooking over medium heat for 45 minutes. Then drain them, saving the cooking water. Mix as directed with other ingredients but substitute 1 1/2 cups of the bean cooking water for the 3 cups of water. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 - 36 hours, then add meat and reduce cooking time to 3 hours. Uncover and bake another hour or until done. Add extra water if needed.
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WOW! I just started making my homemade baked beans, again. They are soooo good! I make mine in a bean pot, a covered bean pot... I think the size and shape of it have a lot to do with how good the beans will come out. If you don't have a bean pot you must have a covered container. My bean pot holds two 1(one) lb packages of navy beans and that is what I would normally use.. but we are in a different house with a new to us oven and I started with just using one package (1 lb) and they came out fantastic.... they will seem too thin if you eat them on the same day that you have made them if you only cook them for the 5 hrs. An overnight in the fridge makes them perfect the next day! Long way of saying oven has lots to do with it. This is my Moms recipe... we had homemade baked beans every week growing up. It is her bean pot! 1. 1 lb package of navy beans 2. 1 lb of Salt Pork (NOT fatback) 3. 1 lb box of dark brown sugar 4. 3 Tbs. of Molasses 5. 1 large quartered onion 6. 3 Tbs. of mustard (can use dry or use a grainy or Dijon type mustard) Place dry beans in bean pot, cover with cold water, soak overnight. Alternatively, if short on time... cover beans with cold water, bring to boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. Boil again for 2 minutes) After either, above, method, drain and rinse, rinse, rinse beans! It is very important to rinse off that liquid. Place 1/2 of beans in bean pot, add large dice salt pork, quartered onion and cover with cold water. Add brown sugar, molasses and mustard. Cover beans and bake in 325 oven for 5 hours, checking to make sure that beans stay (just) covered with water... if water is low, add more and give beans a stir from the bottom up. I either cook longer (maybe an hour, maybe more, really depends on your oven, just last night for 1 hour.. came out great.. but, still, even better the next day after fridge) or refrigerate to use the next day so that they are just right.. I like the beans to be coated and the bean "juice" to be somewhat thickish. You will know by looking at them that they are "right". If I use 2 lbs of dried beans, I only double the sugar. Mustard, molasses and salt pork amounts remain the same. Onion, too. Never more molasses, they will come out "tacky". The house smells heavenly when they are cooking! And they aren't ready until they are ready! No bites till done! Enjoy! Sea
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drink some, use some : ) I haven't tried different beers or styles of beer usually its whatever i have which could be from bud light or heineken..
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woodie
18 years ago
Very nice recipe, thanks Adrienne.

Makes me think of a question..............

I don't use a lot of dried beans, but when I do I always examine them and 'pick them over'. I've never found anything to throw away, no stone or anything, and I am 56 years old and have been 'picking' for a few years!

Do we really have to pick them over?
adrienneliq
Original Author
18 years ago
LOL Woodie...I added that in as a disclaimer! LMAO!!! The recipe said to do it so I added it in...I myself have never lost a tooth on beans before ...but I guess you never know!

Good luck and let me know how you like the recipe!

Adrienne
granjan
18 years ago
I have picked over many, many beans at my restaurant for soups, and black beans that come with our huevos, and have found LOTS of stones and debris. The small packages most people buy in stores are almost always clean.(And the really fancy, expensive ones are very clean). But if you buy in bulk, trust me there are things in there. I bet most of it falls to the bottom so you won't get much in the top of the bin but if you are taking the bottom of the bin BE CAREFUL!

The bags & boxes I get my stuff in says raw agricultural product and they mean it!

This looks like a great recipe.
roselin32
18 years ago
Woodie, I too have found lots of little pebbles in the pinto beans that we like.
This does sound like a great recipe and I think I have some of the beans. Great dish for the 4th.
Thanx.
RL`
granjan
18 years ago
Loved the beans. Tucked them in the oven while making my pies and they were great. I used gigantes, DH's favorite. And I did add a toasted bread crumb topping. Much better than sweet American baked beans, 4th of July or not!
ruthanna_gw
18 years ago
Reporting in on the Tuscan Baked Beans

We made them on Saturday and served them with a grilled turkey breast half and tomatoes stuffed with spinach and topped with parmesan cheese.

I didn't have pancetta so used triple smoked bacon from the butcher shop. Also didn't have fresh sage but added about a Tbs. of chopped fresh basil. Otherwise, I followed the directions as posted. They were absolutely delicious and I would definitely make them again.

We mixed the leftovers with some tuna, basalmic vinegar, sliced purple olives and olive oil for a lunch salad today.

Thanks, Adrienne.
adrienneliq
Original Author
18 years ago
Glad you enjoyed! I'm thinking of making my leftovers into a "chili" with some cubed chicken breast, some more tomatoes, and chicken broth...should be good.
fearlessem
16 years ago
Thanks for this post Adrienne -- they sound fabulous! Will make them soon and report back!

Emily
homesforsale
16 years ago
I made them too!

I used mixed dried beans... though.. so they took twice the time:) And added some ail confit that I made this week and lots of chopped Rosemary..Bacon as I didn't have Pancetta on hand...I usually keep some frozen..but had none:(

Keepers for me..Glad I have leftovers..they will be my main meal Friday night.
I love beans.

And I am reading A Thousand Days in Tuscany~ Thus the final inspiration..Thanks!

Parmesan would be good w/:)

RECIPE: Tuscan Baked Beans

Comments (11)

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RECIPE: Tuscan Baked Beans

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