Rediscovering Boston and New Restaurant Recipes

Rediscovering Boston and New Restaurant Recipes

I have begun my summertime journey of collecting restaurant recipes, and have made it to one of the greatest cities in the New England area. Boston is a city where you find a bit of America’s past on every corner in the downtown area. It is filled with more colleges and universities than many other cities. Boston also has foods that it can call its own, and none more than the food that carries its name: Boston Baked Beans. Though this dish may seem too simple to be included in my file of restaurant recipes, when it is done well it is worthy of serving at any get together of friends or family. I might have a bias since I am a lifelong resident of New England, but both the dish and the pub I am sitting in deserve remembering.

The pub is the Bull and Finch, and was the inspiration for the TV show Cheers. The look is typical of a Boston institution, and the relaxed feel given by the show is exactly how it feels to eat here. Nothing extremely fancy, but exactly what you would want and done exactly right.

Boston Baked Beans, serves eight, start the previous day

1 pound dried pinto beans (2 1/4 cups)
12 bacon slices (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 cups water
1 1/3 cups chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry mustard
2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Add water to beans in bowl to cover by 3 inches. Let stand overnight, then drain beans.
Set oven at 350

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