Baked Beans
My Mama used to make these beans when I was at home. They have a particular smell and I think the key is the red wine. She also put plenty of black pepper. They were spicy with it. She used canned beans but we prefer it with the dried beans.
To make this vegetarian just delete the bacon. If you still want a little smoky flavor you can add 1 tsp liquid smoke into the bean liquid mixture.
Yield: 8‑10 servings
Time: 6‑7 hours
3 quart casserole dish
300°
Ingredients:
1 lb mixed small dry beans
2 qt water
1 tsp salt
½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp black pepper
1 lg onion, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 lb bacon
Instructions:
Sort, wash, and cook the beans in water with salt until tender (if larger beans are used, soak them over night to minimize cooking time; soaking also reduces the gas factor). Drain, reserving 2 cup liquid. Combine bean liquid, brown sugar, molasses, celery salt, dry mustard, pepper and wine. Stir well.
Layer ½ ‑ beans, onion, bacon and liquid mixture in 3 quart casserole. Repeat layers. Add more wine if necessary to make mixture soupy. Cover loosely and bake at 300 for 3-4 hours. Beans are done when most of the liquid is absorbed.