Boston Baked Beans

This is my second post today, because writing about Baked beans, made me think of Boston. So, I wanted to write about Boston, but it would have made that post too long.

I have a lovely recipe for Boston baked beans. The only trouble is that it is very long and needs molasses, which are harder to find here than baked beans.

But back to Boston. I have a wonderful memory of going there.

I love to hear young people talk about their travels, going round the world on their own, having tattoos done on beaches in Thailand, re-building bungalows after the Tsunami, swimming with turtles, toasting marshmallows on the top of a volcano. As you get older though,  you are more likely to find yourself in an organised tour, part of a group.

We went to New England in a group, and that's how I found myself on a coach, having a guided tour of Boston. As we neared the city, our guide told us about the traffic lanes, where you have to pay if you're on your own. So, some people put blow-up dolls in the passenger seat! With guides, you're never quite sure if they're pulling your leg.

When we arrived in Boston, a local guide, called Al, took over. He was very entertaining and witty, and we drove round Boston , absorbing his information, from the comfort of our coach.

This is what I remember:- the hotel where Marilyn Monroe went with the Kennedys; the very tall skyscraper with mirrored glass, which is in Ally McBeal; a very old boat; a department store that on one day a year, sold off bridal dresses for next-to-nothing and you'd risk your life in the stampede of fiancees; the statue of Paul Revere. I'm going to pause, because I'm ashamed to say I didn't know who he was.

Our guide told us the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which started:-

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
On the eighteenth of April in 75
Hardly man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

The poem goes on to explain how Paul Revere defeated the British. As we were mainly British we had a lot of laughs about this.

We were also reminded of The Boston Tea party, I did know about that. It was because of the taxes on the tea.

Al told us that the original settlers in Boston were all a bit deaf and had lots of children, This was because, every night, the man of the house would turn to his wife and ask "Are you tired or what?" and she would rely "What". So after that every evening our group would say to each other "Are you going to bed or what?". Yes, well. It seemed funny at the time.

At the end of our guided tour Al said, "Now, you are going to do two things, if you don't do these  two things, you can never consider yourself a true American, They are: shopping and eating, eating and shopping, shopping and eating".

With that he dropped us off at "The Faneuil Hall Marketplace". First of all we went into "Victoria's secrets", which we'd heard so much about. Then we bought a Red Sox teddy bear, then we went into the pub where "Cheers" was filmed. That was the shopping bit.

Then we went into the food hall. Wow! We had never seen anything like that, or even imagined it. There, in this very attractive covered market, was food from every possible nation and for every possible taste. People from the world's most troubled countries were standing side by side, displaying their  homelands' delicacies. The Albanian, next to the Syrian, next to the Iranian, all the way along.
That to me is America's strength. That is what is to be really admired and seen as an inspiration.

Of course, there were also stalls selling amazing doughnuts and waffles. Huge Homer Simpson doughnuts, covered with sugar, chocolate, icing, whatever you like.

Faced with this enormous choice, we walked up and down, and do you know? I really can't remember what we ate. I think we went back to the Cheers pub and had New England chowder. That was my favourite dish of the holiday - along with the Boston baked beans.

Here is the recipe:-

500 g white haricot dried beans
200 g bacon , cut in pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
200 g molasses
1 teaspoon mustard
60 g tomato ketchup
1 clove
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans in cold water overnight.
The next day, drain the beans.
Put the beans in a large saucepan, with enough water to cover.
Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 40 minutes, until beans are soft.
Drain, reserving the water.
In a large oven-proof saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy and then add the onions and continue cooking until golden.
Add the beans and 1 litre of the reserved water.
Add the molasses, mustard,ketchup, clove, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and bake in the oven for about 3 hours.
Check that there is enough liquid, every hour or so.

This makes enough for about 8. You can pop some scrubbed potatoes in with them for the last hour. They go very well together. This is a great dish for this time of year. The house warms up with the oven on all that time. It's wonderful after a brisk walk in the cold air, to come home to with friends.

Have a nice day.