BBQ bean toast

Is there nothing more fuel efficient than a mess of beans on toast to keep the home fires burning? It’s cheap, easy, and a solid option if your physical distancing during COVID-19.

Today I’m making BBQ bean toast, working from a batch of homemade beans—I am talking those dried beans you’ve long neglected in the back of your pantry; no canned beans here.

This is my go-to pot of navy beans that is so versatile you can eat it plain like a soup, tart it up with canned tomatoes, veggies, and a meat protein for a stew, smash the beans onto a sliced baguette for crostini, or puree the beans to make a bean dip. All for the cost of, like $2.

I’m a fan of the overnight soak. Into a big pot goes: 2 cups of dried navy beans, one small quartered onion, one smashed clove of garlic, one bay leaf, one sage leaf (if you have it; I’ve got dried sage leaves from our summer bounty), 4 cups of water, and two glugs of olive oil. I add salt toward the end of the process but there’s endless debate so you can choose to add it at the start or later. Now add this secret ingredient that totally makes this pot of beans: one rind of parmesan (I keep leftover parmesan rinds in the freezer to flavour boost soups—do it and you’ll never go back).

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a constant simmer for 1-2 hours. I skim the foam off the top to encourage a clearer broth—because that bean water is liquid gold.

How do you know the beans are ready? When they’re creamy on the inside. These are good to go. It’s OK, you can admire that golden broth! Fish out the rind, onion, garlic, bay & sage leaves.

Time to make the baked beans with a homemade BBQ sauce. I take my bean and broth base and pour that into my 27-year-old old Dansk casserole pot. I love it but it only gets put into action for baked beans these days.

We’re going to add more flavour to that bean base by making a BBQ sauce. Into a fry pan goes one minced onion and 1/3 cup pancetta ( you could use bacon or skip meat altogether). They get sauteed until the onion is soft and the pancetta crisps up a bit (5-8 minutes on the stovetop).

Now I add 1/3 cup of tomato paste and cook that off for a minute or so.

Let’s finish this sauce with 1/3 cup tamari (or soy sauce), 1/3 cup ketchup (I use a sugar-free ketchup that’s sweetened with dates because I try to avoid sugar), and 1 tbsp honey. This is my take on BBQ sauce, which normally contains brown sugar, molasses, and spice. If you prefer that, forget about the ketchup and honey, add 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup molasses, and cayenne to your liking.

Time to add the finished sauce to my bean broth base.

Ready to go into the oven at 350 F for 1-1/2 hours.

Make sure you put a lid on that! I always put my pot on a baking tray in case there’s spillage.

Baked beans are ready and look at that! Saucy and hearty.

Time to make toast! You can pop bread in your toaster and butter the toast, or brush the toast with olive oil on both sides and grill on your BBQ or broil in your oven. I like to put a glug of olive oil and a nub of butter in a non-stick fry pan and crisp both sides of a sturdy, rustic bread.

Time to plate up. Spoon a generous helping of those beans on toast. You can add grated parmesan or cheddar as a topping, or a mess of herbs if you have them. You could even top this with a fried or poached egg.

Here you go, rustic, old-fashioned baked beans on toast. It never gets old.

— Trish Hennessy