yummy beans

Caramelized Asian Pork Chops with Sizzled Ginger Rice

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Pork Chop Ingredients:

•4 garlic cloves, halved
•2 tablespoons soy sauce
•2 tablespoons sugar
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•8 very thin pork rib chops (about 4 ounces each)
•Salt and freshly ground pepper


Pork Chop Instructions:

1.Put the garlic, soy sauce, sugar and oil in a mini food processor and process until the garlic is pureed. Put the pork chops on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the marinade over them; turn to coat the chops. Let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
2.Light a grill. Season the chops with salt and pepper and grill over high heat until charred and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.

Rice Ingredients:




Racers will take off from Boston tonight- can't wait.
Recipe from The New Basics Cookbook


Ingredients:

•1 pound dried navy or Great Northern beans

•8 ounces slab or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces

•1 cup chopped onion

•2 cloves garlic, chopped

•1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

•2 cups ketchup

•6 tablespoons maple syrup

•6 tablespoons dark molasses

•1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1.Rinse and pick through the beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
Rinse the soaked beans well under cold water and place them in a heavy saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

2.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

3.Place a 2-quart flameproof casserole or dutch oven over medium heat and saute bacon until slightly crisp and fat is rendered, about five minutes. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until it's wilted, about 5 minutes.

4.Add the brown sugar and stir over medium-low heat until it has dissolved, about five minutes. Stir in the ketchup, syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the drained beans and mix well.

5.Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours. Make sure you scrape the bottom when you stir.

6.Add 3/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid, cover, and bake another 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake, stirring once, until the sauce is thick and syrupy, another 10-15 minutes.

7.Serve hot.

Notes:
Boston Baked Beans have an interesting history. From what I've read, the Puritans would slowly cook beans on Saturday evenings and consume them, still hot, on Sundays, their Sabbath, when they were unable to work due to their religion. Traditional Boston Baked Beans recipes use molasses, as molasses was widely available due to Boston's rum trade. (You learn something new every day.) And do you know about the Boston Molasses Disaster? You can't make this stuff up.



•1 1/2 cups sushi rice
•2 cups water
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1/4 cup julienned fresh ginger

Rice Instructions:

1.Put the rice in a small saucepan, rinse well and drain. Add the 2 cups of water to the rice and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for about 13 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice and cover again.
2.Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the ginger and cook over low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir the ginger into the rice and serve.