Do you mean cooking the beans from scratch? Many dishes with baked beans are just based on opening a can.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baked_beans

UK canned (BE 'tinned') baked beans apparently are more tomatoey, whereas US taste includes pork and molasses. I don't know whether you could get either kind very easily in Germany.

https://www.cookscountry.com/taste_tests/464-...

There are various recipes for easy baked-bean casseroles that start with the canned kind and just add a few ingredients for seasoning. One of mine adds smoked sausage, vegetable oil, chopped onions, allspice, brown sugar, and prepared mustard with horseradish. Another adds bacon, onion, ketchup, brown sugar, Tabasco sauce, and prepared mustard. Another uses bacon, onion, ketchup, syrup, dry mustard, chili powder, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. (If these all sound like 1950s to 1970s, that's because that's when this style of food was popular.)

I also have a couple of recipes for homemade pork and beans, starting with dried navy beans and soaking them overnight, then boiling with baking soda and salt pork for 10 minutes, then adding onion, molasses, sugar, dry mustard, and pepper, and baking at a low temperature (300° F) for several hours, continuing to add some of the reserved cooking liquid gradually.

I could copy the amounts for you if any of that sounds like you would like to try it, but it's not actually a dish I'm very fond of myself -- too sweet for a vegetable.

One of my recipes from scratch was called 'Durgin Park's Boston Baked Beans,' so I searched for that online and apparently it was a home-style restaurant in Boston. Here's a similar recipe from the Boston Globe website, which should be an authentic source (and not as full of advertising and cookies as many commercial recipe sites, which should often be avoided).

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-di...

However, it uses bacon instead of salt pork. For comparison, here's mine from my mom's recipe notebook, from recipes copied mostly in the 1960s and 70s.

1 lb. dried navy or pea beans
6 cups water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 lb. salt pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, peeled
1/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper

Soak beans overnight in a large bowl in the 6 cups water.

Place beans with soaking water in a large kettle; add baking soda. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Drain in colander over large bowl, reserving liquid.

Place salt pork, onion, and beans in a 2-quart bean pot or casserole. Combine molasses, sugar, dry mustard, pepper, and 1 cup of the reserved liquid. Pour over beans and stir thoroughly. Add just enough reserved liquid to cover beans (about 1 cup). Cover casserole and bake in a slow oven (300° F) for 2 hours.

Add remaining 1 cup liquid and stir thoroughly. Continue baking an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender and liquid is absorbed. Bake uncovered the last half hour if you wish.

(Ed.: Not sure those amounts of liquid add up, but that's what it says. Maybe the beans have already absorbed half the original volume.)

_________________

Here's one more, just called 'Homemade Pork and Beans.'

1 lb. dried navy or Great Northern beans
2 qts. water
1/4 lb. salt pork
3/4 c. unsulfured molasses
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard

Rinse beans in cold water and drain. Place in large saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover loosely and let stand 1 hour. (This takes the place of overnight soaking.)

Return to heat and bring to a boil; cover and simmer gently over low heat for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. Drain beans and reserve liquid.

Spoon beans into a 2 1/2-quart bean pot or casserole. Cut through surface of salt pork every 1/2 inch, making cuts about 1 inch deep. Bury pork in beans.

Mix 2 cups reserved bean liquid with molasses, tomato paste, salt, and mustard; pour over beans. Cover and bake at 300° F for 5 to 6 hours. Check beans about once an hour and add additional hot bean liquid or water if the beans become dry.

At the beginning of the cooking time the beans should be covered with liquid; at the end of the cooking time beans should be very moist and covered with a syrupy liquid.

Yield: 8 servings.

_________________

Hope that helps. (-:

Well, if what you don't like about the canned sauce is that it's too sweet, I don't know if any of these will be any better. Though it might be better than the British-style more tomatoey sauce -- I hope so. (-:

I also don't know if you can get molasses, and I see that salt pork isn't in LEO. It's just a very fatty piece of salt-cured pork, not for eating but just for adding flavor while cooking. Maybe someone can suggest, or you already know, a rough equivalent.

I knew when it came to recipes, penguin would have some. (-:

Here's one more version claiming to be the Boston one, with some background information as well.

http://uwyoextension.org/uwnutrition/2014/08/...

Es ist nicht die Süße, sondern die Mischung von Gewürzen und Aromen bei den Fertigdosen, die ich nicht mag. Da will ich lieber selber rumexperimentieren.

hm-us, bei Deinem ersten Rezept in #3 soll man einen Teelöffel Backpulver ins Kochwasser geben. Meine Frage als Bohnenbacklaie: Wieso das? Und wieso heissen diese Bohnen eigentlich navy beans?

zirp, nicht Backpulver sondern etwas, was hierzulande Kaiser Natron heißt, das ist etwas anderes, der Unterschied wurde auch schon hier diskutiert (ich finde nur den Faden gerade nicht). Die Bohnen werden dann schneller weich.

...wobei ich nicht sicher bin, ob das nicht ein bean myth ist, dass sie dann schneller weich werden.

LEO:
baking soda [chem.] - das Natriumbicarbonat auch: Natriumbikarbonat
baking soda [cook.]-Backpulver aus Natriumbicarbonat (auch: Natriumbikarbonat)
baking soda [chem.] - das Natron kein Pl.
baking soda [chem.][cook.] - die (auch: das) Speisesoda kein Pl. (Österr.)
baking soda [chem.]- doppelkohlensaures Natron
Dictionary: baking soda powder

related discussion: baking powder, baking soda
related discussion: Baking powder/baking soda
related discussion: Baking powder = baking soda???
related discussion: baking soda/baking powder
related discussion: Baking soda / baking powder

Speaking of getting the beans soft faster, it's interesting to compare these recipes. Why start with only a little liquid and have to keep checking and adding liquid, when in another recipe you just add all the liquid at the start? And why soak overnight when you can boil, set aside, and boil again in an hour or two? Amazing ...

And apart from all that, if my Brazilian friend's mother were here, she would certainly say, why cook for 6 hours when you can use a pressure cooker? But I don't know how to judge exactly how long it would take in a pressure cooker, and I'm always worried the thing will explode ...

Re cook the beans and add ketchup: that sounds like one step too many toward oversimplification. The stuff is ketchupy enough as it is -- that's partly what I'm not crazy about. (But anyone who likes Currywurst may think ketchupy beans are great.)

Re navy beans: They're wonderful, and actually, navy bean soup is a great soup, easy to make even with canned beans, plus carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and chicken stock. Maybe a bay leaf, and some rosemary.

And for anyone who doesn't like canned baked beans, I would think you could still save a lot of time by jump-starting the baked-bean recipe with canned navy beans (which don't have any particular seasoning except salt and pork) instead of soaking the dried beans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_bean

Apparently the name 'navy' comes from their use by the navy, as a staple food for sailors. Navy bean soup later became famous in the dining room of the US Senate, whose recipe is still popular in updated versions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_bean_soup
https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/8071-sen...

Auch für mich trifft sich das gut, denn ich habe auch beschlossen, den Leguminosen mehr Aufmerksamkeit zu widmen (heute gibt es einen Eintopf mit weißen Bohnen). Zudem ging es mir mit den Dosen-Baked-Beans wie Goldammer. Sehr schön. Werd ich auch mal probieren.

Wow, that sounds ... deftig? Can't think exactly how you say 'hearty' in German, but the kind of thing that would revive an Iowa farmer who had been out with the sheep in the snow. Wonderful for winter.

Since so many bean and pea recipes seem to go well with cornbread, I can't resist offering my mom's time-tested cornbread recipe, which came originally from one of her best friends from east Texas.

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
4-5 tbsp. unsifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
3 tbsp. melted shortening (e.g., bacon drippings, Crisco)

Melt shortening in pie plate (= 9-inch Pyrex) while preheating oven to 425° F (~ 220° C), watching closely to avoid catching fire.

Mix dry ingredients. Blend egg and milk together (a fork is fine), then add to dry ingredients.

Pour most of shortening into batter mixture and stir, leaving some fat to coat pie plate and prevent sticking. Pour mixture back into pie plate and bake at 425° F until brown, 15-20 minutes (use toothpick to test doneness).

Can also make in square 8" x 8" x 2" pan, or a doubled recipe can be made in a 2-qt. casserole.

_______________

At New Year's, all you have to do is heat a can of black-eyed peas and serve over hot buttered cornbread with some chopped green onions, and you will have good luck in the year to come. (-:

Als hättest du meine Gedanken gelesen, hm--us!!

Na, da muss ich jetzt doch gleich fragen:

The Quaker Oats recipe page doesn't open for me, so I wonder if (too much) sugar is the main difference, or if there's something else. To me the problem with cornbread in many places like chain restaurants is indeed that it can seem too heavy, and too sticky-sweet; we like ours because it comes out a little lighter and fluffier, perhaps because of using part flour. Using bacon grease also helps add flavor; I would use at least part if possible.

The Pyrex pie plate is of course inauthentic; it was probably originally a small cast-iron skillet that went from stove to oven, but Pyrex is just handier. The wedges are key, though, at least in my nostalgia-tinged memory -- squares would just be square. (-;

Hier ist das Rezept für dich zum Vergleichen, hm--us:

Frage an hbberlin: Du schriebst, daß der Hoppin' John nicht ganz so gut war (wie das cornbread). Gilt das generell für das Gericht oder nur speziell für das Rezept, das Du damals gekocht hast?

(...ehm...OT, da wir ja im Sprachforum sind:

hbberlin, danke. Dann werd ich einfach mal einen Versuch wagen.

One of the major differences between hm -- us's recipe and the Quaker recipe is the cornmeal to flour ratio. In the Texas recipe it is 2:1 for cornmeal, while in the Quaker recipe it is 1:1. That would make a big difference in consistency. My guess is that the Quaker recipe is cakier than the kind made by hm -- us.

Noch eine ganz praktische Frage, wenn ihr einen im Ofen gebackenen Bohnentopf machen würdet und ihn mit Cornbread servieren wolltet - wie macht ihr das denn dann mit dem Ofen? Den Bohnentopf vorher raustun und warmhalten, so lange das Cornbread bäckt?

Hast du einen Umluft-Backofen? Dann könntest du beides gleichzeitig machen.

dann kannst du sie in der Tat nur nacheinander machen

Bake the beans the day before, or in the morning. They taste better after they've "aged" a bit. Bake the cornbread right before dinner.

Und dann die Bohnen kurz vor dem Essen nochmal aufwärmen?

Richtig...err...right!

I might have heard of Hoppin' John sometime in my life, but I didn't realize it was largely just black-eyed peas and rice. It probably depends a lot on the onion and the bacon / pork / sausage for seasoning. Underseasoned black-eyed peas can be pretty blah, and adding volume of something else unseasoned like plain rice could make the whole thing blander.

Nicht verzagen, Tante Wiki fragen!

Re #45: Yes, sorry, probably too much to ask. Like gumbo.

So, I looked at home for recipes for red beans and rice and didn't actually find many. But here are some others that seem authentic and not impossibly hard. (And they don't involve sugar ...)

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016675-re...
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic...
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/red-beans.html
http://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/new-orle...

I did find one more cookbook, from Corpus Christi ('¡Viva! Tradiciones'), with some bean recipes. Here's one I haven't tried that looks good and not hard, for 'drunk beans,' aka frijoles borrachos, aka frijoles charros (cowboy style). The touch of sherry makes them 'drunk,' or other recipes use beer.

2 c. dry pinto beans
2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 lb. bacon
1 1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
1 c. sherry
3 tbsp. molasses
1/2 c. dry mustard

Sort and rinse beans. (Soak overnight to reduce cooking time by 1 hour.)

Place all ingredients in a large pot with enough water to cover. Simmer covered over low heat until beans are tender, about 3 hours.

____________________


And since I have that cookbook out, here's a bonus -- a non-bean dish, but one that would go well with cornbread.

Shrimp Creole Mon Cher

2 tbsp. margarine
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1 bay leaf
dash Tabasco
dash Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can chopped tomatoes
3 c. water (or less if too liquid?)
3-4 c. peeled frozen shrimp
3 c. cooked rice, white or brown

In large skillet, sauté onion, celery, and bell pepper in margarine until tender. Blend in flour. Stir in bay leaf, seasonings, tomato paste, tomatoes, and water. Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer just a few more minutes, until shrimp are just thawed but not overcooked. Remove bay leaf and serve over rice.

_____________________

Sorry, sorry, I know the thread was originally about baked beans, but I hope this isn't too far off topic.

(And I'm afraid it's mostly not kosher as is, but maybe one could substitute chicken for pork and fish for shrimp.)

>>Dieses fast schwarze, zähe, klebrige Zeug mit ausgeprägtem, ziemlich speziellem Eigengeschmack

That does sound about like it, especially the potent kind called blackstrap molasses. I don't think anyone in the modern day would eat molasses just raw. However, American molasses is apparently made from sugar cane rather than from sugar beets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses


So are (baked) beans and peas mainly just not a German thing, or are there also European recipes that we could include? There must at least be some with lentils ...

Gestern endlich habe ich den alten Faden ausgegraben und aus den verschiedenen Ideen ein Rezept kreiert, hat sehr gut geschmeckt!

@zwoisentle: :-D

Dääd dii Daunedägg nedd ess Innweischwassa offsauche wänn de Dibbe nemmeh dromm wäa ? Dass wäa jo dann nemmeh inweische sonndann aushäadde ... :-P

Re January: It was a little surprising to me that anyone would dig out such a heavy, hot recipe in the middle of August -- I can't even bring myself to make soup at the moment, it's just too hot. But maybe it was cool and rainy in Goldammerstadt this weekend.

Anyway, glad the recipe collection effort didn't go to waste. (-:

hm -- us, gestern hatte es in München bei Regen 12 °C, vorgestern 14. Tagsüber. Und Goldammer wohnt ebenfalls in Süddeutschland, es dürfte also nicht bedeutend wärmer gewesen sein.

At least in the Wild, Wild West of legend, yes, there was a cook. One of the classic names for the cook was "Cooky."

Hmph -- men often do turn up their noses at healthy vegetables, but I also get similar complaints from my mom in her 80s, who would be happy to subsist solely on breakfast and dessert. Sometimes I think I missed bringing up toddlers only to make up for it at this late stage.

Oh, while I was typing I see hb has mentioned the same word I thought of in relation to cowboys, namely, 'chuckwagon.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckwagon

I think that's how they did it on long cattle drives.

Back at the ranch, they came back to the bunkhouse at night, and the cook (or the rancher's wife) had a kitchen at the ranch house.

Toll! Hatte noch nie vom Chuckwagon gehört, das ist echt spannend. Danke euch! Man kann sich einfach auf euch verlassen!

Also bitte! Die einzig wahren Bohnenkonsumenten des Wilden Westens, mit Rezept!