This is recipe that my extended family has been making for generations, often without the benefit of measurements and written instructions. My cousin Casey shared this version of the recipe.
Nageotte Beans
Ingredients:
- 1 lb dry navy (or pea) beans
- 7 -- 8 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium onion, chopped and lightly sauteed
- 1/2 lb uncured bacon cut into 1 -- 1 1/2" chunks
- salt & pepper to taste -- easy on the salt you can always add more as it cooks
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of summer savory (you may have to look for this herb; it's not commonly found in grocery-store spice racks)
- 1/3 stick of butter
Instructions:
- Briefly boil the beans, then drain, then soak overnight.
- Drain again.
- Put all ingredients into a baking dish which could be a bean pot or a casserole, mix lightly
- Add enough water to top of ingredients is moist
- Bake at 300 -- 325 for 4 to 4 1/2 hours
- Check periodically to keep moist on top. You can use water or you can use beer. A little beer in the cook also helps.
- After 4 -- 4 1/2 hours the beans should be almost creamy. Bake a little longer (keeping moist on top) if not yet done.
Great for picnics and pot-lucks!
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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2 comments:
The combination of garlic, bacon, butter and summer savory are what makes these some of the best beans I've ever had. Especially when made by Uncle Gary or Aunt Sue Marley. Uncle Gary was a true gourmand. He understood and appreciated, and so mastered the making of excellent food. And Uncle Gary loved bringing family together to share excellent food, beer and wine. He had a huge and generous heart.
Yes. My mother, who married the son of a Nageotte woman, spoke of her frustration when trying to emulate her mother-in-law's cooking. Grandma Edith would give vague measurements and say things like "a bit of [something or other]" or "about this much of [that]" while holding up her fingers to demonstrate the proper quantity. In any case, I have little-to-no memory of any Nageotte-esqe dishes prepared by my mother.
Also, I think that it may be genetic as I often find myself ignoring measuring utensils, modifying recipes on the fly depending on what is in the larder at the moment, and presenting each iteration of a dish as a unique creation.
Kim said that Uncle Gary's Nageotte Beans were always slightly different... and I would add... always superb.
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