Best baked beans
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon sugar*
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chilli powder or flakes (adjust to your taste)
¼ cup double concentrate tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
A few drops of liquid smoke
2 cups cooked black-eyed beans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
1. In a large pot, warm the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened.
2. Add the dry seasonings to the pot: sugar, salt, paprika and chilli. Stir well and cook for a minute or so.
3. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, water and liquid smoke. Stir well then add the cooked beans. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Stir regularly but gently, to not break the beans up.
Notes
These can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days, and can also be frozen.
You could use any other type of bean, either homecooked or canned. Cooking them in a pressure cooker makes them less prone to turning mushy than cooking in a regular pan.
Re sugar: if you have molasses you could use that instead of the sugar, to give a deep flavour note.
Despite the name, these beans ain’t baked! It feels wrong to put the oven on for something that can be achieved on the stovetop.
