Big Bean Pot Food

OLD-FASHIONED BEAN POT BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Rinse beans and pick them over. Put beans in a large plastic container with three times as much water as beans. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Drain beans. Combine beans and chopped onion in a large saucepan. Add water to cover them and heat to boiling. Cover and let simmer about 30 minutes. Drain liquid into a small bowl to reserve for sauce and for cooking.
• Measure 1/2 cup of the bean liquid into a bowl. Add the orange juice, molasses, maple syrup, ketchup, and prepared mustard. Then add the brown sugar, stirring to dissolve. Lastly, add the dry mustard and salt and combine.
• In a 2-quart bean crock or covered baking dish layer half the salt pork and all of the beans, making sure to bury the peeled, whole onion in the bottom. Pour the sauce mixture over beans and add just enough reserved bean liquid to cover them. Top with remaining salt pork.
• Bake, covered, at 300 degrees for 4 hours, checking on the hour. If beans seem too dry, add a little of the remaining bean liquid. Uncover and then bake for one hour more.

QUICK 'N' EASY BEAN POT

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp; drain. Stir in the beans, brown sugar, mustard and coffee. Pour into an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

RUSTIC MEAT AND BEAN POT

Steps:

• Preheat broiler to high. Place sausages on a broiler pan and cook 6 inches from heat source 15 minutes turning once.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn around the pan, and chopped bacon. Cook bacon 1 minute, then add chicken and pork and brown cubes on all sides, 3 minutes. Season meats with thyme, salt, and pepper, and add garlic, vegetables, and bay leaf to the pot. Cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally, then deglaze pan with the wine.
• Slice sausages on an angle and add pieces to the pot on the stove. Stir in tomatoes and beans and heat them through. Adjust seasonings and remove pan from heat.
• Broil the split baguette until golden. Rub bread with cracked garlic and drizzle with oil. Coarsely chop bread and scatter the chunks around the edge of the pan. Serve the cassoulet directly from the hot pot at the table.

BIG POT OF BEANS

Steps:

• Rinse the beans, then soak them in salted water (it should taste like the sea) for anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours. If you don't have time, you can skip this step.
• Drain beans and put them in a pot or electric pressure cooker. If cooking in a regular pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 to 3 inches. If using a pressure cooker, use less water, more like 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Add a drizzle of oil and whatever aromatics and herbs you like. Add enough salt to the cooking water to make it taste like the sea.
• If using a regular pot, simmer the beans for anywhere to 30 minutes to 2 to 3 hours, depending on what variety you used, how old they were and whether or not you soaked them. Check on them periodically, adding more water if the level gets too low (as in, lower than the beans). For the pressure cooker, the timing is anywhere from 5 minutes at high pressure to 50 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
• Garnish with fresh herbs or celery leaves, sliced onion, if you like, a drizzle of oil, and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and sea salt.

BIG-BATCH INSTANT POT WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Place beans, garlic, oil, salt, and rosemary (if using) in Instant Pot. Cover with 10 cups cold water. Seal lid and cook at high pressure 14 minutes.
• Release pressure manually. If some beans are still slightly undercooked, stir, cover, and use the Keep Warm function until cooked through.
• Do Ahead: Beans can be cooked 5 days ahead. Chill in cooking liquid in airtight containers, or freeze in cooking liquid up to 3 months.