Better than Flury’s Baked Beans on Toast
The first time I had Baked Beans on Toast, was not at the iconic Flury’s. It was made by my aunt or Choto Mashi. She made this based on my description of the dish and cravings. It is quite likely since this was in London, she had doctored a can of Heinz’s baked beans.
This said, it is a memory that lingers vivid and bold with me. Since then, I have of course enjoyed this a few times at Flury’s. I am honestly not sure why, I was craving baked beans recently. In scouring through a few recipes including this one, I offer you a really good version of baked beans that I have put together. It is good stuff, and starts with good beans. This said, I have a story for you about my aunt’s baked beans.
Nostalgia and Baked Beans
Thinking of food memories, I suddenly find myself transported to one of my last childhood visits to London. I am visiting my Choto Mashi. It was returning from East Africa, stopping to see her before I started another term in school. I am about fourteen years old.
In India, at this time John Travolta and Saturday Night Fever is all the rage. I have not seen the movie. I lamented this to my aunt. I mentioned to her how a group of friends had been escorted by their local guardian (this was a term for the designated relative who could take someone out of the boarding school). First to Flurys (a fancy bakery café in the heart of town) for a meal of pastries and baked beans on toast and then for the movie.
Flury’s at the center of Park Street, is still quite the popular destination in Kolkata where I grew up. Whenever I visit, I still try to fit in a visit.
She takes the day off and manages to get tickets for a double showing of Grease and Saturday Night Fever. I am overjoyed, Grease has not been released in India and probably would not be for a while. So I would come across as really cool. If only, everything in life is as simple as those years.
And, yes she made a killer version of Baked Beans on Toast. Actually, she fried rather than toasted the bread. So good!
And in the memory of those simpler times, I offer you this recipe of very good baked beans on toast.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried white beans, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 pieces bacon, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup mirepoix
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes (about 1 medium sized tomato)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 and ½ tablespoons powdered jaggery
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- To serve
- Sourdough Toast
- Minced green chilies
Instructions
- Place the white beans in a pressure cooker and cook for about 10 minutes, allowing the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure.
- In the meantime, heat the oil and add in the butter and add in the onion and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the bacon and cook for about 3 minutes until the bacon starts rendering fat. Add in the mirepoix and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and the salt and jaggery. Cook for 5 minutes until all seems soft and fairly well mixed. Mix in the beans.
- Place in a casserole and place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and serve over toast with minced green chilies.