Brit Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 200 g dried haricot beans
• 1 onion
• peeled and halved
• 3 carrots
• trimmed and halved lengthways
• 3 cloves garlic
• peeled
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 2 -3 bay leaves
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 leek
• cut crossways into three pieces
• 75 g unsalted butter
• 650 g best-quality tomatoes
• skinned
• deseeded and chopped (strain and reserve the juice)
• 1 onion
• peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• minced
• 125 ml olive oil
• 25 ml sherry wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 12 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 12 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 -2 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 2 -3 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 2 -3 drops Tabasco sauce
• 10 saffron strands (optional)
• finely grated lemon
• zest of
• to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water.
2. The next day, cook the beans in a big pot of water for two hours.
3. You can use the same water as you used to soak the beans.
4. While the beans are cooking, start making the tomato sauce.
5. You will want to use a very low heat.
6. Sweat the onions and spices in the oil for 10 minutes, adding the garlic towards the end.
7. Add the tomatoes, juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, vinegar and lemon zest.
8. Cook over a very low heat for 3-4 hours.
9. Half an hour into the cooking, add the saffron.
10. When cooked, the fondue should be dark red and almost jam-like.
11. If any oil has separated out from the dish just pour it off the top (this tomato infused oil can be kept and used for other dishes).
12. When the fondue is ready, pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C.
13. Puree the fondue in a blender, adding a little of the poured off oil and a touch of water, if necessary.
14. The puree should be enough to cover the beans by 1-2cm.
15. Put the beans in an ovenproof dish, cover with the puree and add all the other ingredients.
16. Season generously.
17. Cover the dish, using tin foil if you don't have a lid, and put it in the oven.
18. After three hours, the beans should be cooked.
19. Feel free to add extras, like smoked bacon, chorizo or sausage halfway through the cooking time.
20. The cooked beans will keep for a few weeks, or even longer if you put them in a sterile preserving jar.