How does it go? Beans, beans, good for your heart, the more you eat,the more you ....well, I think you get the gist of it! I recently went back to my homeland (yep, good 'ol Shawville, PQ) and had the most fantabulous weekend! Not only did I get a break from the suckling piggy (my very large and always hungry 6 month old) but also got to enjoy some amazing cooking and tons of baked beans.
Now, do you think that perhaps I am just asking for trouble by eating beans all weekend? Hardly now. How could I resist the rich and sweet baked beans at Murray Street KWC in Ottawa? Molasses baked beans with succulent duck confit all topped off with baked eggs and duck fat fried bread crumbs? Yowza, it was a wonderful start to my Saturday! But my beans weren't the only amazing thing about my meal. Zoe, the ever adventurous 2 year old that she is, ordered headcheese. Doug, had the "whole cow challenge". Both of these dishes blew us out of the water! Doug's dish came in the form of a chicken fried steak served with some fresh, free range fried eggs and a side salad. Perfect. Zoe and her headcheese; now that is a story in itself! The flavors of this delicacy blew us all out of the water, and Zoe certainly enjoyed the homemade crostinis and "baby pickles" as she called them. My only wish would have been that we could have returned for dinner, but alas, the big boy back home and a pot of baking "feves au lard" were awaiting us.
My second foray into baked beans on this weekend came in the form of my momma's famous "feves au lard". Different from the Murray Street beans, by way of salted pork belly and lard, instead of their sweeter version. My mother makes these in her special bean pot, and they have "bean" a favorite in the Lavallée home since God only knows when! These salty baked beans always remind me of going to my grandmother's house on holidays and enjoying a big bowl of them doused in brown sugar. Yes, you read right.
There are two schools of thought on the "feves au lard". (See the recipe below). Those of us who put brown sugar on them, to get a salty, sweet bowl of beans, and those (like my better half) who opt for ketchup. Anyway you garnish your beans, these stink makers are worth eating.
Whether you enjoy the sweet, molasses infused version of baked beans or the French Canadian "feves au lard", my only advice to you: do not make any plans that have you and other people confined in close quarters! Happy tooting to you!
LOUISE LAVALLEE’S FEVES AU LARD
- 900g (2lbs) white navy beans; soaked over night
- 454g (1lbs) salt pork; cubed
- 225g ( ½ lbs) lard
- 2 onions; peeled and left whole
- Salt and pepper
Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain the next morning and place in a ceramic casserole or bean pot. Add the ingredients and cover with cold water. Place foil over the top and bake in a 175 (350) oven for 3 to 4 hours or until soft. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid and that the beans do not dry out. Serve with brown sugar, ketchup or chopped raw onion.