Conference turris::cooks

		1 package small Beans *
		2 onions
		1/2 stick butter 
		1 tsp salt
		1/2 Cup Bean Syrup (Very Dark)
		1/4 cup Brown sugar
		1/4 tsp dry mustard
		1 package salt pork

		Soak beans in cold water overnight.  Boil beans
		in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.  Drain and
		put into a bean pot.. Add the other ingredients.

		Bake in a 325 (F) oven for 5 to 6 hours, keeping
		beans moist with boiling hot water.  (You will
		need to keep adding water as the beans dry out)..


	* My mother users "State of Maine - Soldier Beans" whenever we
	  can find them..  Otherwise we user Yellow-eye...  My preference
	  is the Soldier Beans.

                1 PACKAGE NAVY PEA BEANS
                1 LARGE ONION
                1 TSP SALT
              1/2 TSP PEPPER
              1/2 CUP MOLASSES
                  GINGER (END OF SPOON)
                  BAKING SODA (END OF SPOON)
                2 TBLS VINEGAR
                1 CUP OLIVE OIL
    
     PLACE BEANS IN A PRESSURE COOKER,COVER BEANS WITH WATER,COOK 40
     MINUTES. DRAIN AN RINSE BEANS. PLACE BACK IN PRESSURE COOKER.
     ADD ALL INGREDIENCES (ONION WHOLE). COOK FOR ANOTHER 40 MINUTES.
     SUPER BAKED BEANS IN 80 MINUTES. TRY PLACING THEM IN A SLO-POT
     WITH A LITTLE BROWN SUGAR AND LET SIMMER FOR ADDITIONAL BEAN-POT
     FLAVOR.
         (NO MORE OVERNIGHT SOAKING AND ALL DAY COOKING NEEDED..TRY
     IT....YOU'LL LIKE IT.
    

    
    1 lb Navy Pea Beans
    1 pkg fat salt pork
    1 onion
    2 T molasses
    16oz hot water
    1/2 tsp ginger
    1 tsp dry mustard
    ketchup (a few shakes)
    
    soak beans in warm water for about 4 hours-add water from time to
    time if necessary. drain them. slice the salt pork and line the
    bottom of the bean pot with a layer. add the onion whole, then add
    the beans and remaining salt pork, ending with salt pork on top.
    add all other ingredients to the hot water and mix. pour it over
    the beans, add more water if beans are not covered. cook for six
    hours in 250 degree oven adding water as necessary.

    This is a great baked bean recipe that my Mom has made for years:
    
    2 pounds of Soldier beans
    8 ounces of salt pork
    1 med. onion
    1/3 cup of molasses
    2 heaping Tablespoons of Guldens brown mustard
    1 2/3 cup of Maple Syrup
    1 level Tablespoon salt
    1/2 level teaspoon pepper
    
    4 cups hot water
    
                             
    1. Place beans in a 5 quart dutch oven, pour cold water over all
       almost to top, and soak overnight. The next morning bring the
       beans to a boil, then simmer until the skins of the beans roll
       back when blown on.  Strain beans and place back into dutch oven
       or bean pot large enough to hold all.
    
    2. In a large bowl wisk together molasses, mustard, maple syrup,
       salt and pepper. Add 3 cups hot water and stir. Pour this over
       the beans.
    
    3. Next slice salt pork into pieces and place over top of beans
       along with the onion(sliced). Push them into the beans slightly.
    
    4. Add 1 more cup hot water, cover and bake at 325* for 6 hours.
       You may remove cover to brown during last few hours of baking,
       but be sure to keep beans covered by adding more water if needed(not
       more than 2 cups in all).
    
    
    
    

    Question for the author of .4 (or anyone else who might know)
    
    What are Soldier beans???
    
    							Pat

    I think they're those little white dried beans, also called
    navy beans.  Is that correct .4?
    
    --Louise

There's a company called "State of Maine" that sells canned soldier 
beans and navy beans.  So they're probably different to some extent.  

Soldier beans look for all the world like pea-beans -- the little 
white, oval beans that are often sold dried.  I can't tell the 
difference myself, but my brother swears that ONLY State of Maine 
Soldier Beans are the proper thing to use in several of his creations.

					>>>==>PStJTT

    I have purchased soldier beans from the "State of Maine" company
    and found them to be a large white bean simalar to the white kidney
    bean.  I usually purchase them in my travels through Vermont.
    All of the locals use them when they make baked beans with Maple
    Syrup.
    
    					John 
    

	As stated in a prior note, Soldier Beans are a somewhat smaller
	variety of white kidney..  They are much larger than the pea
	been..  My moms from Vermont, (Pomfret, outside of Woodstock)
	and I can remember as we were growing up to the smell of baked
	beans simmering..  She always used Soldier Beans..  Even today,
	everytime we go up country, we stop at the stores to stock up
	on both the dried beans, and the canned ones (by doctoring up
	the can beans, their not too bad)..  Just wish we could get them
	here in Worcester...  

	They must have a season when you can get them, last summer/fall
	we had a dickens of a time trying to find them in Maine (we tried
	every weekend from mid July thru Mid Octover, inlaws have a cottage)..
	However, we got them recently, and stocked up for the winter...

	re. 4...  Recipe sounds just like my moms, except she uses brown
	sugar inplace of the molasses, and added a little ginger..

	Brings back those memories of Saturday nite... Homemade Baked Beans,
	Homemade Brown Bread, Hot Dogs and a Salad...  Nice memories...

	Charlie

re .8,.9 "State of Maine" beans

Does "State of Maine" sell beans mail order?  Or, does anyone have a good mail
order source for beans?  I have had trouble finding a good variety in any of
the local markets. 

Thanks,
Sandy

	As I was shopping on Sunday, I happened to notice that the
	Shaws on Lincoln St. in Worcester now carries State of Maine
	Soildier beans in the can..  Price is (was) $1.95 for the 
	large can (sorry, can't remember the oz.)

	Now, if they would only carry the dry ones...  

	Csw

    Haven't tried these yet, but so far everything I've tried in this
    cook book has been very good.  The book is called Savannah Collection
    and I picked it up there while I was on vacation.
    
    Dottie's Baked Beans
    
    1/2 pound bacon
    2 large onions chopped
    1 48 ounce can pork and beans
    2 cups of brown sugar
    l cup of ketchup
    1/4 prepared mustard
    1/4 worcestershire sauce
    2 tsp. of liquid smoke
    
    In large Dutch oven, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon and crumble.
     In bacon grease, fry onions until they are tender and transparent.
     Drain off all but a little grease. To onions, add crumbled bacon,
    beans, sugar, mustard, worcestershire and liquid smoke.  Cook on
    low several hours, stirring occasionally.  Serves 10-12.
    
    
    I think I would consider putting this in a low oven topped with
    additional bacon and cook for perhaps an hour or so,  until
    they were the right consistently (juice cooked down).
    
    If you try them, let me know.  It sounded good to me and like other
    recipes I've seen. Hope you weren't looking for a dried bean recipe.

		Baked Beans (crockpot)

1 lb. (2 cups) dry pea beans               1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water                               1/4 cup molasses
1/4 lb. salt pork, cubed                   1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. salt                                1 tbsp. mustard

	Wash and pick over the beans, discarding any stones or imperfect beans.
Put the beans in the crockpot.  Add the water, salt pork, salt, and onion.  Mix
well, so the beans cover the pork.  Cover crockpot and cook on low heat 14-16
hours or until the beans are tender.  (Cooking time can be reduced if the beans
are soaked overnight before being cooked, then cooked on low heat 10-12 hours.)
	When the beans are tender, drain the bean liquid, reserving 1-1/2 cups.
Combine the reserved bean liquid, molasses, brown sugar, and mustard.  Add to
the beans in the crockpot; stir well.  Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours
longer. 

***NOTE***  The entire process can be speeded up substantially with the help of
a pressure cooker:  Boil the rinsed raw beans, with enough water to cover them
well, in an open pressure cooker (don't put the cover on the pot) for 2
minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and lightly cover it (I lay the lid on
top of the pot, but don't fasten it down), and let the beans rest in the water
for 1 hour.  Cook under pressure (15 lbs) for 40 minutes; at the end of this
time, remove the pot from the heat and let the pressure fall of its own accord
(don't try to hurry the process by putting the pot under cold water).  When the
pressure has fallen enough so that you can open the pot, combine the drained
beans (reserve 1-1/2 cups of the water to use in the crockpot) with the
remaining ingredients in the crockpot.  Cover the crockpot and cook on low heat
for 3-4 hours. 

    Boston Baked Beans
    
    2 cups navy or pea beans
    1 onion, chopped
    1/2 lb salt pork
    2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp dry mustard
    pinch of pepper
    1/4 c molasses
    1/4 c dark brown sugar
    
    Soak beans for 2 hrs in 2 qts warm water in large kettle. Bring
    to a quick boil;simmer until tender. Drain beans, reserving water.
    Fill bean pot with half the beans; add onion and remaining beans.
    Remove rind from salt pork; cut at intervals with knife. Press pork
    deep into beans until surface is level. Combine salt, mustard, 
    pepper, molasses and 3/4 c boling water; pour over beans. Pour 
    reserved water to top of bean pot; cover. Bake at 300 degrees for
    3 hours. Remove cover; bake 1 hour longer. Yields 6 servings.
    
    
    If you try this, let me know how it comes out!
    
    pat                   
    

    
    I'm in the process of making the crockpot baked bean recipe in .3
    for this weekend.  Is the 1 tablespoon mustard called for in the
    recipe, prepared mustard or dry mustard?  Also, the smallest amount
    of salt pork I could buy was 1 lb., so after I chop up 1/4 lb. for
    the recipe, can I freeze the rest?
    
    Thanks!!
    

    Sorry for not being a little clearer...  In my recipes, the default
    for "mustard" is "prepared mustard", and I specify dry mustard when
    that's what I mean -- but I forgot that not everybody would
    instinctively know that.  :-)
    
    As for the salt pork, 1 lb. is the smallest piece I can buy too,
    so yes, I cut it into 1/4-lb. sections, wrap the sections well,
    and freeze them.  You could also dice the salt pork before freezing,
    thereby eliminating the need to thaw it before using it.
    
    Joanna

I sometimes add a southwestern touch to the beans by adding jalape�os.  If 
everyone likes it hot, I slice or dice a few with seeds and add it to the pot 
before cooking.  If its a mixed bunch of palates, I stab the peppers in a few 
places and set them on top of the beans.  This gives a mild zing to the beans 
and daredevils can take the whole peppers.

						     
							- JP

	Normally, when I have the time, I bake beans THE OLD FASHIONED
    WAY (in a clay bean pot past down from my granny). BUT when I am
    in the mood for a baked bean and no time, here is a recipe I created
    to satisfy my craving.
    
    8 once can	B&M baked beans
    2 TBsp	Molasses
    1 Tsp	yellow mustard
    1 small	yellow/white onion


    DIRECTIONS: (adjust measurements to size of can) In microwavable 
    casserole, combine beans, molasses and mustard. Stir mixture until 
    blended. Cut "slits" on one end of the onion "#" style (do not slice 
    or dice through). placed onion into middle of mixture, whole). Place 
    lid on casserole. Place in microwave (turntable for best results). 
    If no turntable, turn 1/2 way through cooking.

	Once cooked, let stand uncovered for about 5 minutes. 

	Stir and enjoy..!  Bob

     BAKING TEMPERATURE: HIGH    BAKING TIME: 10 minutes  SERVINGS: 2-4

    
    Another little addtion would be mixing hot dogs chopped in 1 - 2 in.
    long, cook them for the full 6-8 hrs. They take on the flavor of the
    juices! Yum! I think they're even better re-heated. Let me know what
    you think.
    
    Dan

    RE .4
    
    1 1/3 cup of maple syrup!  I have used that as my secret ingredient to
    enhance my mothers recipe for quite some time now.  Was suprised to see
    that someone else was using it also.  But that seems like a lot to me. 
    I use a mixture of brown sugar and maple syrup but even the combination
    of the two does not equal that much.  Must make for extremely sweet
    beans.
    
    

    Here's a simple recipe for baked beans that came from an old Vermonter
    who lives just down the street.  His family has made them this way for
    generations.
    
    2 lbs. Soldier Beans 
    1 lb. Dark Brown Sugar
    1 Onion chopped 
    Half pound Salt Pork Sliced
    1 teaspoon Black Pepper (for the snappers)
    
    Soak beans overnight then par boil til the skins peel back. 
    Drain the water off and mix the rest of the ingredients in.
    Add enough water back to just cover the beans.
    Bake for 6 hours at 325 degrees leaving the cover off for the
    last hour.
    

    	rep -1
    
    	Wow...that's a lot of brown sugar!!  I use 1/4 cup of brown sugar
    and 2/3 cup molassas to sweeten it.  Do you think my way would be as
    sweet, or not?  I also put in dry mustard, salt, fresh ground black
    pepper, 1/4 pound cubed salt pork, one whole yellow onion, sliced
    length-wise and enough water from cooking the white Navy beans, to
    cover.  I put all this into a pottery bean pot, covered and cook in a
    325 degree oven for 3 hours. Serve w/kilbasa pieces that were cooked in
    onions and beer.  Usually have a macaroni and cheddar cheese caserole
    topped w/sliced tomatos as well.  Makes great left-overs as well!!

    I make my baked beans with soldier beans.  They are hard to find
    sometimes, and I now order them every fall from:
    
    	Kennebec Bean Company
    	North Vassalboro, ME.  04962
    
    	Tel: 207-873-3473.
    
    	They told me, NOT to put too much sugar in them, as sugar makes
    them tough.  I add just enough sugar and molasses to give them a nice
    brown color.  Lately, I have been using a daisy ham cut up, rather than
    the salt pork,  sort of makes it a one pot meal.
    
    Bon

    
    
    I'm hoping someone out there can help me...  I have a bean pot that has
    a hairline crack in it.  I've tested it with water and there isn't a
    big leak but the water seeps out.  Is there any way to fix this and
    still be able to use it?
    
    Thanks,
    Cheri

    Try some hot glue or something similar and then use as a planter.
    
    I don't if you could ever fix it to use as a bean pot again.
    
    Sorry 'bout that.
    
    mj

    Check your Yellow Pages under "China and Glassware--Repairing"
    

I'd check with a local ceramic's hobby shop.  If the pot is structurally
strong (i.e. it's not falling apart) you may be able to have a hobbist
reglaze the pot and fire it in the kiln to reseal the crack.

I have no idea what something like that would cost, but I think it should
work technically...


Al

p.s.  be sure to specify lead-safe glaze...

    Gee Bruce...I thought I smelled something good coming from your
    office...and you kept trying to tell me it was a VAXstation....
    
    
    Ferne
    
    

 Vermont Baked Beans

   5-6 cups of Soldier Beans
   1.3 tsp  ground mustard
   2/3 tsp ground ginger
   1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
   1/3 cup white sugar
   2/3 cup cooking maple syrup
   2-3 tbs of vegetable oil
   1 medium onion
    salt to taste (with the oil, this replaces the salt pork)
   1 tsp ground black pepper
   enough water to cover the beans

 This recipe is scaled for a 4.5 Qt crock.  Quarter the onion and mix
 the ingredients except the beans.  Sort the beans to remove rocks which
 the bean sorting machinery misses, wash and soak the beans for a few
 hours or over night.  Drain the beans, put into crock with the other
 ingredients into a medium oven (250 deg F for you modern folks) for
 around 9 hours. (I soak the beans the night before, throw the crock
 in my kitchen range, make sure the fire box is full and go off.  With
 a wood stove the oven temperature can go up / down, when it is high for
 too long you will need to add water from time to time or the beans will
 dry out.)

 Notes: 
 -----
 Soldier beans are a white medium to large bean with a British soldier on
 the navel (two legs, two arms, head/hat with a feather) for the
 original.  I sometimes substitute red kidney beans when I run out of my
 home grown soldiers.

 Black strap molasses have had the largest amount of sugar removed as is
 possible.  If a substitution is made with another type (eg Mother's
 Molasses), reduce one of the other sweeteners.

 My grandmother's original recipe called for brown sugar, the kind that
 is no longer imported, not the type sold as brown sugar today (a mix of
 white sugar and molasses).  This recipe has white sugar and somewhat
 more molasses than her original to compensate.

 Cooking maple syrup is 30% cheaper than the normal syrup in
 the stores, but probably not easily available to everyone.  It is a low
 grade (dark) syrup, usually from the end of the season and slightly
 stronger in flavor.  I've used the good stuff too, the beans are not
 noticeably different with one syrup from the other.  

    I'm having a difficult time in finding a Bean Pot.  In Boston the're
    sold as souviners and the're expensive.  Spags is sold out. Can't find
    them anywhere in Nashua, NH. Where to go in the 3M area?

    How about a stoneware cookie jar?  that is what my mom uses.
    
    meg

Try Lechter's.  There is one in most malls, including Pheasant Lane and
Searstown (to name a couple os extremes).  Or maybe Christmas Tree Shops?

Try McDonald's kitchen store in downtown Nashua.  I got mine there and they had
quite a few in different sizes at the time.

    Just so happens that I just bought a new one -- at The Kitchen Place on
    So. DWH, in the little plaza with the Pier 1 store.  They had 4 sizes
    in stock then.  Price, in case you are interested was $28.00 for the
    size next to the largest.  
    
    Oh yes, Nashua, NH for those not from the area
    

    Thank you for the pointers

    You can find used bean pots in antiques and collectibles shops, too. 
    I've seen them priced as low as $10 to as high as $25, depending on the
    size and the number of handles (a double-handled pot seems to command a
    higher price than a single-handled pot).
    
    Sue

 Sue is more optimistic than I.  I have seen been pots used as kerosene drip
 pans and some other much less savory uses..buy a new pot.

 Crockery technology has been around long enough that the old testement
 defined conditions under which pots should be destroyed to prevent reuse.

 Bruce

 

Also, some older (and not so older) types of crockery contain leaded glazes.  I
know these pots will have problems in microwave ovens.  I don't know if the lead
is a problem when you slow cook food in the crockery for several hours in
regular ovens.  

    Oh geez--thanks guys!  Now I won't be able to make another batch of
    baked beans until I get a kit and test the durned thing for lead.
    
    Actually, though--lead in new crockery/porcelain/stoneware is *still*
    an issue in this day and age--particularly if it's from Asia.  I know
    that Tiffany's used to sell a line of imported china until it was found
    to leach unacceptably high amounts of lead.
    
    And of course, one must be careful not to store liquor in lead crystal
    decanters, or allow acidic liquids to sit for more than 1 hour in lead
    crystal glasses...