The Musical Fruit

I can tell it's time for me to fire up the grill. I can't stop with the grilling menu.

This is a Boston Baked Bean recipe from the Boston Globe, and enhanced by this daughter of the Upper Midwest the way my mom taught me, just in time for barbecue season. The original pretty close to the Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking School recipe and a little bland for me so I updated it.

Serves 6.
1 pound pea beans
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 lb bacon, rendered to near crispy and sliced into 1 inch pieces

1. Discard any discolored beans. In a large bowl, combine the beans with plenty of cold water and soak overnight for 6 to 8 hours.

2. Drain the beans. In a large pot, combine the beans and enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes or until they are just tender (it may take longer if the beans are old or the soaking time was short). Drain the beans and set aside the cooking liquid.

3. Set the oven at 325 degrees. In a bean pot or deep casserole with a lid, combine the beans, onion, mustard, dark and light brown sugars, molasses, and salt. Add enough of the cooking liquid to just cover the beans. Stir to blend them.

4. Bring the liquid to a boil on top of the stove, then transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes to make sure the beans don't dry. Add more cooking liquid if necessary.

5. When the beans are tender, uncover the pot and add the vinegar, bacon and additional salt and pepper, stir in gently and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more to make a slightly crusty top.

For those that have trouble digesting beans, add a pinch of baking soda to the soaking water, it will remove the problem. Beano, available nearly everywhere these days, will help with everything from black beans and rice to tofu, for the soy intolerant.