Speedy Smoky & Spicy Baked Beans

When I was a child one of my favourite things to do was enjoy a sleep over at my Nana’s and Papa’s house. They lived on what would today be considered an urban farm. Ahead of their time in some ways, on their half acre suburban block they grew a large array of vegetable, nurtured several productive fruit trees and were surrounded by a lush flower garden. We all anxiously awaited the bloom of the blood plum tree, the pie from the granny smith apples, the cucumber relish from the vegie patch and to pick flowers for a little posie to take home. Her roasts were legendry, her Cornish pasties devoured and her golden syrup dumplings like liquid gold. So with all that in my treasured memories you’d think one of those delicious old fashioned favourites would be this week’s offering wouldn’t you. Well not quite. One of the best things about those sleep overs was supper. My grandfather was English and they were former farmers so meals were taken early, the main meal of the day was enjoyed at lunch and the evening meal a little lighter, so a fortifying supper snack was a nightly treat in their house and a delight to a little girl who was allowed to stay up later than usual listening to classical music and choose whatever I wanted. Some of my favourites were vegemite toast on thick cut white bread with fresh salty butter that dripped between my fingers which I’ve never been able to reproduce, canned tomato soup and believe it or not canned baked beans. I know! None of those were what you were expecting but when I think of her I’m transported to a feeling love created and shared around food. A compliment she made me back in her later years when she’d come to my home for lunch, complimenting my cooking and batting away any credit for the passion she’s sparked in me for food and cooking with her own observations…”I can cook country food but Sal is much more adventurous than me…. I enjoy trying all the different things she makes.”

So perhaps it’s the feeling I crave when I create dishes inspired by those memories like this hug in a bowl. I’ve eaten a plethora of Baked Beans recipes over the years from a variety of sources. This is my take on the genre, it’s tasty, easy, you may even have all the ingredients in the kitchen already and is pretty fast. As much as I love a slow cook session once I have a craving for something I need it satisfied. These beans are good for breakfast, brunch, lunch dinner, brinner or supper. I hope you enjoy them and they transports you to happy memories.

Ingredients:

1 Chorizo Sausage chopped. The cured variety similar to salami.

1 tbs olive oil

½ a brown onion or 1 eschallot finely chopped

1 clove garlic crushed chopped or grated, it really doesn’t matter which

1 tsp of finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

¼ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 400gm can of crushed tomatoes

1 400gm can of white beans

1 tbs of Date syrup ( you can sub this with maple or 2 tsp of treacle or golden syrup. It’s the rich warm sweetness we’re after)

½ tsp smoked salt

Method:

Place chopped chorizo into cold, medium sized fry pan withot oil. As the pan warms the oil and fat will render out. As the edges start to caramelise add the oil warm it for a minute then add onion, turn down to low flame and cook slowly for five minutes, don’t let the onions caramelise. Increase heat to medium and add garlic for a further minute or until just fragrant. Add spcies, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add thyme stir then add tomatoes. Let them bubble up stirring all the while to combine all the flavours. Add drained beans and syrup, stir well sprinkle in smoked salt and stir again. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Enjoy with toast or an egg on top and goats cheese.

Note:

Gamze smoked goods produce my favourite chorizo. It’s spicy and has an excellent texture when cooked. It’s not readily available near me so I often use whatever is available at the deli and add some dried chilli flakes to taste to spice it up.

For Vegetarians this will still be delicious without sausage. The bulk of the flavour comes for the rest of the ingredients.

Smoked salt is readily available in Australian supermarkets under the Olsson’s brand or online here. A little google search showed me that it’s also available in American supermarkets and under the Maldon brand in the UK.

Date Syrup is a new product from Australian sugar brand CSR and is widely available in major supermarkets. I’ve only just discovered it and am experimenting with it widely. It’s available in American and British supermarkets. It has a lovely subtle caramel flavour without being overly sweet so seems to sit well as a seasoning in savoury dishes.