Smoky Baked Beans with Chorizo

D scored Spanish Chorizo from work, and I had the New Cooking Light, and we were making pulled pork, so this recipe came up.

Of course we totally made it different, since we bought canned Northern Beans. So take out that 8 hours. You can see what we did differently below.

The result is what is odd. D loves salt. I do not.  I thought these beans were excellent. D thought they were way too salty.  So perhaps next time, we will leave out the salt, and or rinse the beans before we dump them in the pot.

Smoky Baked Beans with Chorizo

Be sure to use firm, dry-cured Spanish chorizo and not soft, raw Mexican chorizo for this recipe.

YIELD:12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)
HANDS-ON:20 MINUTES
TOTAL:10 HOURS, 30 MINUTES
COURSE: Side Dishes/Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pound dried Great Northern beans (2 1/2 cups) (used 2 cans, undrained)
1 cup diced dry-cured Spanish chorizo
4 cups chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups water (didn't use)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (used 2 tsps dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (used 2 tsps dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
3 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

 1. Sort and wash beans; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Cover; let stand 8 hours. Drain. (used 2 cans of beans, didn't stand in water for 8 hours)
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chorizo; cook 4 minutes or until fat begins to render. Add onion and garlic; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add beans, water (didn't use), and next 7 ingredients (through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until beans are just tender (simmered for 20 minutes)
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Stir brown sugar and the next 3 ingredients (through crushed red pepper) into bean mixture; bring to a simmer. Cover; bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender and sauce is thick (did for about 30 minutes). Remove from oven; stir in vinegar, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Discard bay leaves; sprinkle with green onions and parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 184; Fat: 2.9; Saturated fat: 1; Monounsaturated fat: 1.2; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5; Protein: 10.6; Carbohydrate: 30.3; Fiber: 7.5; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Iron: 2.8m; Sodium: 306m; Calcium: 98mg 

Cooking Light JUNE 2011