I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa and think her cookbooks are a must for anyone who is a home cook. But we all like to tweke to our own tastes and I did to create this side dish for a friend’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit!
Ready
- 2 lbs dry light red kidney beans
- 2 large onions, cut into thick slices (approx 1”)
- 3 bay leaves
- 15 whole black peppercorns
- 1-½ dark amber maple syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup Heinz ketchup
- 2 tbsp Chinese chili garlic paste
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tspn fresh lemon juice (basically a good squeeze from ½ lemon, because I put lemon in everything to brighten flavor)
- ⅛ tspn dry English mustard
- 2 tspn kosher salt
- 1 lbs smoked bacon, cubed
Set
- Extra large bowl
- Stock pot
- Medium saucepan
- 7 quart Dutch oven
- Colander
- Knife and cutting board
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
Go
- Put beans into large bowl or pot, cover with cold water and cover with plastic. Make sure there is plenty of room for the beans to ‘grow’ and at least 3 inches of water above the beans. Refrigerate 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
- In large pot - I use a stock pot - place 4 quarts of cold water, the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes, until tender. Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, chili garlic paste, ginger, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 6 minutes.
- Put the beans into a 7 quart Dutch oven and mix in half the bacon. Lay the rest of the bacon on top like a crust, then pour the sauce over the entire pot.
- Put pot into hot 225°F oven and bake for 6 hours (or up to 8 hours if you are leaving the house). Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving.
What you should know
Need to allot for: The beans need to be soaked overnight. The cooking process includes baking for at least 6 hours.