The Republican journal., 1912-11-14
Proper Baking of Beans.
Getting to be Lost Art in Boston. The
True New England Method of Cooking.

Getting to be a Lost Art in Boston. The
True New England Method Of Cooking.
Many New Highlander is prepared to
say that among the "lost arts must
soon be classed the cooking of that de-
lectable dish, pork and beans, or, to
speak more after the vernacular, "Boston
baked BEANS" Certain it is that while
no dish is more often found among the
items on the bill of fare at CITY restaur-
ly satisfactory from the standpoint OF
the discriminating diner. Indeed, it
may well be questioned whether the
taste for this good old dish has not de-
parted in many cases with the ability to
cook it properly.
This is hardly to be wondered at, for in
most cases stewed or steamed beans
have taken the place of "baked" beans,
while the serving of the larger and
coarser, and consequently the stronger
tasting kinds, has led many to give them
up altogether. This is the more to be
regretted, as physicians are showing a
disposition to recommend the addition of
beans to the ordinary diet, on the ground
that they are especially rich in proteids,
or tissue forming material. 1t is doubt
full, however, if they could conscient-
iously recommend the so-called "baked
beans, New York STYLE" or the Boston
baked beans' as supplied in the ordi-
nary Boston restaurant. The one ap-
pears to consist of underdone beans
swimming in weak gravy, while in the
other they are still only partly cooked,
but the gravy is lacking. Both are so
little like that royal old New England
dish of other days as to lead visitors not
ito the manner born," when served
with "baked beans" for the first time,
to wonder at their world wide fame.
With the buyers Of a generation ago,
Vermont hand picked pea beans were
the prime favorites, but today California
beans are the best that are available,
and their best is very good indeed. For
eign pea beans run irregular in size, and
their flavor is by no means so delicate
and at the same time so rich, as good
CALIFORNIA;. Therefore, select the lat
ter; wash them thoroughly and soak over
night in sufficient cold water to keep
them covered. Many old-fashioned cooks
parboil their beans to remove some of
the strong taste, and when this is done,
long soaking is unnecessary. For fam
lily of four, a pint of dry beans is suffi-
cient. To this must be added generous
piece of fat pork. A thick piece from
the back is best, and the best is none too
good. Lean streaks when cooked in the
beans are tough and stringy, and the So
called "bean pork" sold in the markets
derives its name from the idea that the
cheaper and poorer the meat, the more
suitable for baked beans.
Having placed the pork in the bottom
of the bean pot, which should be of stone
or earthernware, with working cover,
add quarter teaspoonful of mustard,
and salt and sugar to taste. If molasses
is used instead of sugar the beans will
have darker color when cooked, though
this is better attained by long cooking
than by other means. Some like
little onion cooked in the beans, but
this is entirely a matter of taste. Pour
the soaked or parboiled beans over all,
which should fill the pot nearly to the
top. Add enough hot water to just
cover and place IN a hot oven. From
now on the cooking is simply matter
of keeping the fire hot and the beans
covered with water, for if they once go
dry, or even partially so, they will never
VIC tuC Sdiile cS ain. SOOh uHlu LllOEOuSu-
ly done, from ten to twelve hours is none
too long, but do not stir until they are
poured out for the table. Cooked like
this baked beans are palatable, nutriti-
Gus, and comparatively inexpensive, while
in food value they rank very high.
The necessity for a return to such old
fashioned dishes as baked beans and
New England boiled dinner arises from
the continued high cost of nearly all
kinds of meats. Attention has been
lately called by a Transcript correspon-
dent to the act that the Romans con-
quered Italy and Carthage on black bean
porridge, and one Of the things that
made Japan formidable to Russia in the
last war was the large use of soy-beans
by her people and soldiers With beef
and pork practically unchanged, and
mutton and lamb only a little lower,
people of moderate means have been
obliged to turn to less exclusively meat
diet. In the end this will tend to bet
ter health and more economical living,
though the process of transition is pain
full enough. = Boston Transcript.