Boston Baked Beans
Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients
500g dried Cannelini beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
2 tbsp Mustard powder
1/4 cup treacle
1/4 cup Soft-brown sugar
2 Cloves
1 large Onion, halved
100g Pork speck, chopped
2 fresh Bay leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for cooking
400g tin chopped Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped Mint
Pork Speck
Speck is a pork product made from a boned ham that is moderately salted and seasoned, cold-smoked and then well aged according to local practices and traditions. The exterior of a slab of Speck is brown, while the inside is red with whitish-pink areas. Speck has a strong smoky and zesty scent. During the salting process, the meat is flavoured with black pepper, pimento, garlic and juniper berry which lend it a distinctive and savoury taste.
Method
The exact cooking time of this dish will depend on the quality and age of the beans used; it can take around four hours for the beans to become tender.
Drain and rinse beans, then place in a large saucepan, cover with water and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer gently over low heat for 45 minutes (use a simmer mat if necessary), then drain and leave to cool. In a bowl, combine mustard powder and 1 tablespoon of water to make a paste, then add treacle and brown sugar. Preheat fan-forced oven to 140C. Insert 1 clove into each onion half, then place in a large, ovenproof heavy-based saucepan, casserole or deep-frying pan with pork speck, bay leaves and a splash of Olive Oil and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and mustard mixture and stir to combine. Add reserved beans, then cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil and bake for 4 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking and add red-wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
When the beans are ready, add chopped mint and taste, then adjust seasoning, if necessary. If you find that the beans are too sweet, add a little more red-wine vinegar, then serve.