Pork and Beans

Baked beans are a dish that holds a place close to the heart of Newfoundlander's and New Englander's alike. It's an east coast thing I suppose. With ingredients from our isolated coastal past such as dried beans, molasses and salt pork staples in maritime kitchens it's no wonder this meal is so popular from from the tip of Newfoundland down to Boston, with many variations along the way.

While I like salt pork or bacon as a base to my baked beans I wanted to try something different and have a good quantity of meat in the final dish. Thinking back to canned pork and beans I ate as a kid, I thought why not make a baked bean dish with tender sirloin pork chops (also called county style ribs). With a busy work week ahead, I hauled out my slow cooker to do the job. Since beans love the low and slow cooking method, the slow cooker was the perfect choice. The result was a delicious, rich, hearty baked bean dish with tender morsels of pork and a tangy sweetness from the molasses, mustard and vinegar. You can also taste the beer!

Slow Cooker Pork and Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry navy beans, sorted, rinsed
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1/2 cup  molasses
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup good beer (such as Sam Adams Boston Lager or Quidi Vidi 1892)
• 4 Tbsp deli mustard
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp dried summer savory
• 3 cups tomato puree
• 1 cup water
• 2 lbs sirloin pork chops or southern style ribs

Directions:

To give the beans a head start and to ensure they become tender in the slow cooker, boil them in water for 10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Place all the ingredients in the slow  cooker, including the pork ribs and drained par-cooked beans. Stir well so that everything is combined. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, 8-10 hours. Remove the pork chops/ribs from the pot and remove the meat from the bones. Return the pork meat to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some good bread and a nice bottle of beer.

Pasta E Fagioli

Today I have a cold, and having finished off the last of my yellow split pea and ham soup yesterday, I'm craving another bowl of something hot and comforting on this dreary day. What I wish I had is a bowl of pasta e fagioli, a rustic soup I made last week.

Pasta e fagioli is a traditional Italian "peasant" soup made with cheaply available pasta and beans, in addition to other Italian staples such as olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes and herbs. The traditional bean of choice is a cannellini (like a white kidney bean) and the pasta can be any small cut pasta. While Pasta e fagioli began as a meatless dish, today it often includes a little Italian meat such as prosciutto or panchetta. For this recipe, I started my pasta and bean soup off with two hot Italian sausages. I get my sausage these days from an awesome Italian Market in Albany, NY called Cardona's and they are incredible. If you ever visit New York's capitol region, Cardona's is well worth the visit as their deli creations are delicious (http://www.cardonasmarket.com/).

They beauty of this soup is that it only take about 30 minutes from start to finish, so it's a great weekday option, but it tastes like it has been simmering away all day. The soup gets great richness from the chicken stock and thickens from the starch from the pasta and by mushing some of the beans. Here's how I made mine.

Pasta E Fagioli

Ingredients:
2 links of hot Italian sausage, casing removed and rough chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
8 artichoke quarters, from a can or jar, rough chop
8-10 sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, chopped
1 32 ox box of good chicken stock
32 oz water
2 cans of cannellini beans
1/2 pound small bow-tie (or other small) pasta
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt and pepper
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

Directions:

Over a medium heat, heat a little olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot. Add the chopped sausage and begin to brown the meat. In the meantime prep all of your veggies. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add the garlic, artichoke, sundried tomatoes, herbs and chili flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the box of chicken stock. Fill the empty box with water and add that to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer and add the pasta and 1 can on the beans. Put the other can of beans in a bowl and with the back of a wooden spoon, smash some of the beans, and add to the pot. Stir occasionally and cook until the pasta is al dente, meaning it still has some bite. Add some fresh herbs such as parsley or chives and ladle into soup bowls. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Bon appetite!