Baked Beans

Yes, I'm still alive and still cooking a lot. In the last few months Adeline (now 8 1/2 months old) has been demanding most of the small amount of free time I once had. Anyway, I made these baked beans for dinner tonight and David and I loved them. They're sort of a combination and variation on two recipes, so I'm making myself add the recipe now so I'll know what I did for next time I crave baked beans.

1 pound dried great northern beans

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

3/4 pound (12 ounces) applewood smoked bacon, chopped

Rinse the beans and pick them over. Put the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover the beans by about an inch. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a large saucepan and add water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Set the lid askew and reduce the heat to medium-low until the beans are barely tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the salt after 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender and golden brown. Remove from heat.

When the beans are ready, drain them in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the beans to a bowl. Add the cooked onion, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar, and molasses and stir to combine.

Line the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish or dutch oven with one-third of the bacon. Add half the beans, then half of the remaining bacon. Top with the remaining beans and bacon. Add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to barely cover the beans. Cover and bake for 2 hours. Uncover and bake another 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 servings.