Instant Pot Barbecue "Baked" Beans

Oh, how I love barbecue. And how I love a smoky, spicy-sweet side of beans to go with it.

Just in time for the 4th of July, here's my new favorite recipe for barbecue "baked" beans--"baked" because they aren't really, since I made them in the Instant Pot.

There are lots of recipes for "barbecue beans" or "baked beans"--not really sure what the difference is I put both in the name of this dish.

I've made this dish twice, and while it was good both times, the adjustments I made for the second time were a definite improvement. I didn't have any molasses on hand the first time, so I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup (the real kind). This worked fine, but I missed that deep sweetness the molasses adds. I also used Stubbs's Sweet Honey & Spice flavor barbecue sauce the first time, which I didn't like nearly as much as the Stubb's Hickory Bourbon I used for the second batch (for the record, my favorite variety of Stubb's barbecue sauce is Sweet Heat--so amazing).

In looking at ingredient lists of other recipes to develop this dish, the one I leaned on the most was "The Best Barbecue Beans Recipe" by Joshua Bousel for Serious Eats. The accompanying photos were exactly what I wanted my beans to look like, and I liked the combination of sweet ingredients (honey, brown sugar and molasses). I made quite a few changes, but it's worth checking out.

That Serious Eats recipe goes the more traditional route of soaking the beans first and baking them in the oven, so expect an overnight soak and about 6-7 hours of cooking time. By comparison, my recipe takes a little over 2 hours--not exactly "instant" but with no soaking or oven time, it's great for whipping up "baked" beans the day before (or even day-of) you want to enjoy them without heating up your kitchen on a hot day or having to remember to soak those beans.

Instant Pot Barbecue "Baked" Beans

Ingredients for cooking the beans:
1 lb. dried pinto beans (may use other similarly sized dried beans), rinsed and examined to remove any small stones
10 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for cooking the dish:
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips
1 1/2 cup diced (about 1 large) yellow or sweet onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I recommend Stubb's Hickory Bourbon)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. mustard (any will do, I used a grainy Dijon)
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup brown sugar (I used light, but would've used dark if I had it)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Cook the beans:

1. Combine dried beans, water and salt in an Instant Pot. Lock the lid and set to cook under high pressure for 25 minutes. When cooking time is up, allow pressure to release naturally, which takes about 10-12 minutes. Total time for this step is 50-60 minutes.

2. When pressure is fully released, unlock the lid, drain the beans and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Cook the dish:

1. Using the Instant Pot sauté mode, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon. Remove excess bacon fat, leaving about 2 tbsp. in the pot (I used a couple paper towels to soak it up).

2. Add the onion and garlic to the pot. Sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot.

3. Into the pot with the cooked vegetables, add the cooked bacon, cooked beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, molasses and chicken broth (in other words, all of the remaining ingredients). Stir to combine. Lock the lid and set to cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. When cooking time is up, allow pressure to release naturally, about 10-15 minutes (vent any remaining pressure after 15 minutes). Total time for this step is 40-45 minutes.

4. Unlock the lid and stir the mixture. If a thicker texture is desired, use Sauté mode (normal setting) to evaporate some of the moisture and thicken the beans--about 10 minutes is just right for me. Allow to cool and either eat or transfer to a container with a lid to store in the fridge.

Watermelon, Strawberry and Bacon Salad

This is a simple salad that has summer written all over it. Watermelon and strawberries--find fresh local ones if you can--are the perfect ripe red fruits of summer. The feta cheese adds some tang and the bacon adds its wonderful smoky crisp meatiness.

Feel free to mix this up as you please. Some sweet sungold tomatoes would be good in here, as would fresh blueberries.

I made this for lunch while we were on the Oregon coast a couple of months ago. For whatever reason, we tend to almost always buy watermelon while we're there, but don't get it much when we're home at D.C. (which is a shame, since watermelon is so good). See below for more watermelon salad recipes.

Watermelon, Strawberry and Bacon Salad

1/4 lb. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon
3-4 cups arugula leaves
2 cups cubed watermelon
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese cubes
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisped. Set the cooked bacon aside on a paper-towel-lined plate, then transfer to a cutting board and chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

2. In a large bowl, combine arugula, watermelon cubes, sliced strawberries, feta cheese, pecans and bacon pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat with dressing. Serve salad in large shallow bowls.

Related

Watermelon and Blueberry Salad with Goat Cheese

Watermelon and Watercress Salad with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Mint

Watermelon and Pepperoni Salad

Smoky Orzo and Vegetable Bowl with Pistachio Pesto

This pasta bowl was inspired by the fennel bowl I enjoyed at Shouk and wrote about earlier this week. That dish, which is vegan, contains brown rice, lentils, fennel, other vegetables and a wonderful pistachio pesto with a Middle Eastern spice profile. This dish is not vegan or even vegetarisn--it contains bacon (easily omitted if you want to make the dish vegan)--and it has a more Italian than Middle Eastern flavor. These kinds of bowls make a great dinner, ideal for breaking up a midweek routine.

Smoky Orzo and Vegetable Bowl with Pistachio Pesto
Inspired by the fennel rice bowl at Shouk in Washington, D.C.; pesto adapted from a recipe by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo for Food & Wine.

16 oz. whole-grain orzo
1 large fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise and diced (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 cups baby spinach leaves

Pesto:
7 oz. roasted unsalted shelled pistachios
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely shredded pecorino romano cheese (I used a microplane)

1. Cook orzo in salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine fennel and carrots in a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and roast until softened and lightly browned, about 40 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes. Set vegetables aside.

3. Make pesto while the vegetables roast: Add the pistachio nuts to a food processor and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Add the mint and garlic, then turn on the processor and drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube, processing the mixture until it forms a paste. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the pecorino romano cheese.

4. Cook bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. When cooled, transfer to a cutting board and chop into bits. Pour off the excess fat from the saute pan, leaving about 1 tbsp. in pan. Return to medium heat and sauté the onion and red pepper until lightly browned and softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook a couple of minutes until it wilts, then stir in the cooked orzo, bacon and roasted vegetables. Moisten the mixture with some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls topped with a generous dollop of pesto.


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Bacon and Roasted Bean Salad

Roasted chickpeas are a wonderful thing. The little round legumes, when tossed with olive oil and cooked in the oven until their edges dry out and crisp, make a wonderful snack or salad addition (see related recipes below for links to dishes where I've used them).

Turns out you can achieve a similar effect with other types of canned legumes. I got the idea from a recipe by Kay Chun for Warm Escarole-and-Shiitake Salad with Crispy Beans in the latest issue of Food & Wine. For this salad, I drained and rinsed a can of red kidney beans, tossed them with olive oil and seasonings and roasted them until they split open and dried out. They were amazing! I really love their texture and taste. Just like the chickpeas, they would make a great snack or salad topping.

Because canned beans are a little softer than canned chickpeas, they can be roasted at a lower temperature. They're done in about a half hour. If you think about it, give them a stir halfway through to promote even cooking. Check them after half an hour and give them an extra 5 minutes or so in the oven if it seems like some of the beans might still be soft.

This salad is actually inspired by one of my favorite winter soups, Smoky Pinto Bean, Red Wine and Bacon Soup, a recipe from New York Times recipe columnist Melissa Clark. Here, I've taken many of that recipe's ingredients--the bacon, onion and celery, rosemary, the beans, of course, and even the red wine (in the vinaigrette)--and translated them into a salad. If you're getting tired of winter soups, this is great way to put something on the table with similar ingredients but a lighter, fresher profile.

I'm interested in roasting other types of canned beans, possibly with other seasonings. I wonder what roasted black beans tossed with ground cumin and chili powder would be like. Although hominy isn't a bean, this similar treatment for canned hominy, roasted with garlic and chili powder, also sounds tasty. Any other ideas for roasted beans? Please share them in the comments.

Bacon and Roasted Bean Salad

Serves 2

15 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 oz. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon (I recommend Benton's, available online)

3-4 cups of torn green-leaf lettuce leaves

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

2 celery ribs, cut on an angle into 1/8-inch-thick slices

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. honey

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Combine beans with 1 tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spread beans in an even layer on a baking sheet (lined with aluminum foil if desired for easy clean-up) and roast until the beans have split open and dried out, about 30-35 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Set aside to cool and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Chop into bits.

3. Combine lettuce, onion, celery, rosemary and bacon bits in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and honey, then whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Divide the salad onto two plates and serve topped with a generous handful of the roasted beans (serve any remaining beans on the side--they make a great snack).

Related

Smoky Pinto Bean, Red Wine and Bacon Soup

Parsnip-Carrot Soup with Tahini and Roasted Chickpeas

Crispy Kale and Roasted Chickpea Salad

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

Reconstructed Hummus Salad

Roasted Chickpea "Potato" Salad

Smoky Farro, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Bowl

After a weekend of roughing it due to Snowzilla, it's time for some good eating. This is simple, easy winter fare that's like a "choose your own adventure": pair a chewy grain (farro), with an indulgent meat (hickory-smoked bacon), a roasted vegetable (Brussels sprouts) and a nut (pecan). You could make all sorts of substitutions to the aforementioned formula and end up with a great meal.

Smoky Farro, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Bowl

12 oz. Brussels sprouts, root ends removed and sprouts larger than about 3/4-inch cut in half

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt, to taste

1 cup farro, rinsed

3 cups plus 1 tbsp. water

6 oz. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, such as Benton's, strips cut in half
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup pecans
Pinch of hickory-smoked sea salt
1 tbsp. honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add sprouts to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Transfer to an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet, turning sprouts so their cut-side is down. Roast until browned, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Combine farro, 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to the large bowl.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain off the hot bacon fat, leaving about 1 tbsp. in the pan. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and bacon to the large bowl.

4. Toast pecans in a small skillet over medium-low heat until they are fragrant, tossing occasionally to prevent them from burning. Sprinkle with the hickory-smoked salt and drizzle with honey. Stir, then add the 1 tbsp. of water and stir. When the water has evaporated enough to make a honey-syrup that evenly coats the nuts, remove them from the pan and transfer to the large bowl with the other ingredients. Toss the ingredients together and serve in shallow bowls.

Black Eyed Peas with Bacon and Chard

Do you believe in luck? Many people don't; I don't really--except that I sort of do. Like a lot of people, I know that many things in life happen by chance. I believe "luck" is when those are things you want to have happen. Like winning a contest, unexpectedly running into an old friend or being the last person to snag something special.

Certainly the number of things we do for luck attests to our belief in it. We kiss the Blarney stone, knock on wood and hunt for four-leaf clovers.

Then there's the practice of eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day. It's a tradition many Southerners observed, which I hadn't heard of until just recently, having read an article about it in the New York Times Food section.

There are quite a few explanations for the practice, many of which date back to the Civil War and some go back to ancient times.

Although it's not a tradition I'm tied to, I'm certainly not one to turn down a good bowl of pork and beans with greens, which is what I made, inspired by the accompanying recipe by Kim Severson, as well as another Times recipe by David Tanis, I made my own version of the dish. Their dishes call for using dried or fresh peas, as well as ham hocks. They cook for several hours, which I'm sure is delicious, but I wanted a faster recipe--something you could make midweek to enjoy black eyed peas any day of the winter, not just on New Year's Day. So I use canned black eyed peas and bacon, specifically the hickory-smoked bacon from Benton's that I love so much.

Black Eyed Peas with Bacon and Chard
Inspired by recipes by Kim Severson and David Tanis for Black Eyed Peas

1/2 lb. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 large sweet or yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes (use more or less depending on your taste for heat)
1 bunch (about 1 lb.) Swiss or rainbow chard, leaves removed and cut into 1-inch wide strips, stems discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
15 oz. can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 bay leaf

1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven or other large soup pot over medium heat. When browned and crisp, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tbsp. of the hot bacon fat in the pot (use the rest for something else, like thin and crispy cornbread).

2. Add the onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Ad the garlic and chili pepper flakes and cook another couple minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chard leaves, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix with the other ingredients. Allow the chard to wilt a bit, then add the cooked bacon, black eyed peas, chicken stock, allspice and bay leaf. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and serve with cornbread and an old fashioned (recipe below).

Old Fashioned Cocktail

2 oz. bourbon whiskey
1/4 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange peel garnish
Maraschino cherry garnish

Combine whiskey, simple syrup and bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until very cold, then strain into a rocks glass with a single large ice cube. Squeeze the orange peel over the drink, rub it around the rim of the glass and drop it in. Add the cherry and serve.

Gift Ideas for Food and Drink Lovers

There are 11 days until Christmas. In the age of Amazon Prime 2-day free delivery, there's still plenty of time to choose a present for that special someone who loves to eat and drink. Stumped as to what to get them? Here are some ideas.

Wine

For the wine lover, the obvious choice is a bottle of wine, but this can be a fairly tricky purchase. You want something special that will appeal to their refined palate. You want something interesting that isn't what you find at the grocery store. You want to spend enough to get something good but not break the bank. Dracaena Wines 2013 Cabernet Franc meets all of these requirements in addition to being a really delicious red wine. Not familiar with cabernet franc? It's one of the "parent" grapes (along with sauvignon blanc) of cabernet sauvignon, that ruby jewel beloved by many as the most popular red wine. Cabernet franc is generally lighter than sauvignon (especially as Chinon, which I discussed as a good Thanksgiving wine) and earthier. It's wonderful as a blending with with cabernet sauvignon--many of the best bottles I've had have 5 to 15 percent cab franc added to them. But it's also delicious on its own.

Dracaena Wines' cab franc is exactly how I like my cab franc to be: on the bigger side with subtly earthy flavors but not that "barnyard" quality of some cab francs. It's the kind of red you can sip by itself or enjoy with food (we had ours with pizza, which was a pretty perfect match). This wine is actually 85 percent cab franc and 15 percent petite sirah, another lesser known but really wonderful red wine. Dracaena Wines owners Lori and Mike Budd are active on Twitter (@dracaenawines) and MangiaTV's Monday night "vamps" (video chats), where I've gotten to know them. You can order Dracaena Wines 2013 Cabernet France directly from their website for $28 per bottle or by the case at a 15% discount.

Spice Rub

Speaking of Mangia, a bag (or more) of their Cajun-style dry rub would make a perfect stocking stuffer. These versatile spice blends--available in hot and sweet versions--are wonderful with meat, fish and vegetables of all kinds (read about how I like to use their rubs here). Mangia's Bob Heffernan hosts a weekly online video chat (most every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. eastern), a wonderful place to chat with like-minded foodies and discuss Bob's perspectives on food, community and fun. Mangia rub is available from the company's website for $6 per bag or $9 per two-pack. Become friends with Bob online  (Twitter: @mangiaTV) and you may discover ways to get occasional discounts too.

Bacon

My husband always does a nice job of buying me Christmas gifts, but last year, he got extra points for a particularly thoughtful surprise: 4 pounds of bacon. Now, we're not just talking any bacon but my favorite bacon: Benton's Hickory-Smoked Country Bacon. Bacon has been "a thing" for years now, and Benton's thick bacon has been a favorite for its wonderful meaty flavor and intensely smoky aroma--your kitchen will smell like someone has a campfire burning when you're cooking it. You can order Benton's bacon in 4-lb packs (four separately wrapped 1-pound packs) for $30 from the company's website. Also, check out my recipes from this year where I used Benton's bacon, including Cauliflower-Bacon Clam Chowder, Smoky Bacon Macaroni & Cheese, Punchier Potato-Leek Soup and Three-Peas Farro Risotto with Bacon.

Barware

Cocktail lovers can always use new and interesting barware. Arctic Chill has set itself apart as a manufacturer of innovative barware. Last year, I talked about their metal muddler. This year, I enjoyed using their ice sphere trays, which each make four 2-inch spherical ice cubes (two cubes fit nicely into a standard-size rocks glass), and their wine aerator. I'm not always sold on whether aerating is necessary or works well, but I have noticed that this aerator "softens" wines a bit, and it's very easy to use: simply put it in the top of an opened wine bottle and pour. Perhaps best of all, the spout makes wine-pouring a no-mess experience. Arctic Chill's products are available from Amazon, the wine aerator for $9 and the ice molds as a set of two for $12. [Note: Arctic Chill provided the products mentioned in this review.]

Cocktail Bitters

Lots of people have a bottle of Angostura bitters kicking around their home bar, but that's just a start to the wonderful world of cocktail bitters, which come in so many amazing flavors. Last year, I did a series of posts about bitters, which many consider to be the "salt and pepper" of good cocktails. Bitters make a nice gift because they don't require refrigeration and they last indefinitely. Some of my favorites: Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters, which add wintery-cinnamon-and-spice notes to drinks like an Old-Fashioned or a Winter Manhattan ($18 at Amazon); Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters, the spicy Mole-inspired bitters that launched the Bittermens line, which are wonderful in an Improved Tequila Cocktail or Oaxaca Old Fashioned ($21 at Amazon); and Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6, developed by cocktail legend Gary "Gaz" Regan, which are perfect for adding a hint of citrus to drinks like the Barrel-Aged Berlioni ($8 at Amazon, also generally available in most good liquor stores). Not ready to commit to a full bottle? Scrappy's sells two bitters samplers, which each contain four small bottles of bitters. Set 1 has lavender, chocolate, cardamom and grapefruit ($24 at Amazon); set 2 has orange, celery, Orleans and aromatic ($24 at Amazon, get both from Amazon for $40).

Books

I have a lot of books to recommend this year, so head on over to my related post on food and drink book gift ideas.

Butternut Squash, Pecan and Bacon Bread

I'm sure you've heard of pumpkin bread, but butternut squash bread? That was a new one for me. After making a loaf, it's a shame we've been strangers until now.

The spark for this dish was lit during a recent Washington Post Food section chat, where I asked if there were any particular trends among this year's Thanksgiving recipes. Another chatter piped up that the big trend in recipes this year was butternut squash. I surveyed the dishes I had planned for the month thus far and...there wasn't a butternut in sight! So I wanted to add something, but I wanted it to be different. I've roasted butternut squash and tossed it with grains. I've pureed it into an appetizer crostini topping. I've even turned it into a cocktail (for more ideas, check out this recent 8-2-Eat on butternut squash recipes). I didn't want to repeat any of those things.

Instead, at that Washington Post chatter's suggestion, I made bread. A search online uncovered an AllRecipes.com recipe that was exactly what I was looking for. This recipe enhances the bread with walnuts and raisins. I went a different route: pecans and...bacon. Yes, bacon in bread! Why not? It's in everything else these days. I also cut the recipe in half to have just one loaf; you could certainly double it back if you want to make two. You'll just need two loaf pans.

A word on prepping butternut squash. You can buy butternut squash already peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks at the grocery store. This makes turning it into smaller cubes for roasting quite simple. However, you can also start with a whole squash, which isn't as hard to deal with as you might think if you follow these directions that explain the steps in the picture above. Either way, the end result should be cubes about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide (the smaller the size, the quicker it will roast).

Since this is a "quick" bread--i.e. one that is leavened with baking powder and baking soda and thus rises while it cooks rather than the longer process of a yeast bread that requires kneading and rising time--it doesn't take very long to make, especially if you've roasted and pureed the butternut squash in advance. If you roast cubes from a whole squash, you'll have plenty leftover that you could freeze and later use for any of the roasted squash recipes I've mentioned here (see related links below too).

Butternut Squash, Pecan and Bacon Bread
Adapted in part from Boltonlane's recipe for Autumn Spiced Butternut Squash Bread on AllRecipes.com

Note: This recipe makes leftover roasted butternut squash, as it seems a waste to roast only enough needed for this recipe. I froze the leftover roasted squash to save for another purpose, like tossing into a grain bowl.

Equipment: 9 X 5 loaf pan, stand or hand mixer, bowls, baking sheet

16-20 oz. peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (to make 1 cup roasted butternut squash puree)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 oz. bacon (to yield about 1/3 cup bacon bits)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the baking pan
2 large eggs
1/3 cup water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 425 F with rack in middle position.

2. Add butternut squash cubes to a large bowl. Drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat the squash evenly with oil. Spread squash in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 until tender. Set aside to cool. Add a heaping cup of the roasted cubes to a food processor and turn it on. Add a little water (start with a tablespoon; you can add a little more if necessary) if the squash is too thick to puree smoothly. The end result should be 1 cup of pureed squash. Add a few more cubes of squash and puree again if you fall a little short of 1 cup.

3. Adjust oven temperature to 350 F.

4. Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool, then transfer to a cutting board and chop into bits.

5. Combine sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) and blend on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash puree, eggs and water and blend into the mixture on low speed.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the butter-sugar-squash mixture and blend on low speed until just combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and bacon bits.

7. Grease a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with butter. Pour the batter into the pan so that it is even distributed in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Set pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the loaf from the pan and set the loaf on the rack to cool completely. Slice in 1/2-inch slices to serve.

Related

Wheat Berry Salad with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini with Crispy Shallots

Cocktail: Hot Butternut Rum

8-2-Eat: Fall into Butternut Squash

Thanksgiving Central

Deconstructed Sweet Potato Casserole

"Deconstruction" is a cooking term to describe a dish where ingredients that are normally combined are instead prepared separately, providing a better showcase for their distinctive flavors and textures. I see the term applied to desserts often, but it can done for other dishes too.

For years, I experimented with ways to deconstruct green bean casserole, although I was never satisfied with the results. I find a typical green bean casserole to be rather drab, and I thought that deconstructing the dish could allow its ingredients--fresh green beans, crispy onions, mushrooms--to shine, but I was never satisfied with my attempts. Instead, a couple years ago, I came up with a recipe for Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Mushrooms that improved, rather than deconstructed, the dish.

So now I'm taking aim at another Thanksgiving casserole that I think could use a lift--the sweet potato casserole--and this time I'm back to deconstruction.

Let's consider the problems with a typical sweet potato casserole: it's too sweet, with a puree of sweet potatoes, which, as their name implies are naturally sweet but have added refined sugar anyway, and topped with a thick layer of broiled marshmallows (which are almost all sugar). Texturally, it's like lazy mashed potatoes, and isn't one starchy puree enough?

My goals for this dish were to 1) give the dish more body and texture, 2) dial back on the sugar and make what sweetness I did add to the dish more interesting, 3) make the potatoes the star attraction. In short, I wanted to make the dish more like the side dish it should be and less like the faux-dessert it often ends up being.

To that end, instead of making a sweet potato puree, I roasted the sweet potatoes, keeping them in lightly browned bite-size chunks. I reduced the amount of sugar and, instead of white sugar, I used a more savory combination of brown sugar and maple syrup, forming a glaze similar to that from the recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon-Maple Glaze. I also dialed the marshmallows way back so that they dot the top of the dish rather than form a thick layer concealing the potatoes. Bacon and pecans add further savory and smoky notes to the dish (and the bacon may be omitted to make the dish vegetarian).

Deconstructed Sweet Potato Casserole

4 lb. sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz. bacon
½ cup pecans
6 tbsp. maple syrup
½ cup water
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. minced ginger
¼ cup bourbon
1 tbsp. butter
1 cup mini marshmallows

1. Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425° F.

2. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes and  olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the potato mixture between two rimmed baking sheets and roast, turning potatoes often and rotating sheets halfway through, until potatoes are tender and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes. (Note: the potatoes may be roasted ahead of time and refrigerated; if doing so, rewarm before proceeding.)

3. Cook bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat until brown and crisp. Set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool, the crumble into large bits.

4. Heat a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Toast the pecans, tossing frequently, until fragrant (shouldn't take more than about 10 minutes). Transfer the nuts to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, then coarsely chop them.

5. In a medium (2 to 2 1/2 quart) saucepan over medium-high heat, combine maple syrup, water, brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thickened and reduced by half, 6-7 minutes (watch and stir often to prevent burning). Stir in the bourbon and butter, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup. Set aside.

6. Preheat oven broiler with rack about 4-5 inches from broiler. Combine sweet potatoes with bacon and pecans and transfer to lightly oiled 9 X 13 baking dish. Top the mixture with marshmallows and broil to brown the marshmallows, about 1 minute (watch to prevent burning, more or less time may be needed). Drizzle the casserole with the maple-bourbon sauce.

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Three-Peas Farro Risotto with Bacon

Early summer means lots of fresh peas. I've posted about sugar snap peas this year, and wanted to get in one more recipe before we move on from this vibrant fresh staple.

This farro risotto recipe plays on concepts from two previous recipes: the Farro Risotto with Pancetta and Kale and the Peas 3-Ways Risotto, melding what I like best about those two dishes into one delicious whole.

Chewy farro, a wheat grain, is a good substitute for arborio rice in a risotto. I buy it semi-pearled, so it cooks faster than other wheat grains. It's chewy texture and earthy flavor goes nicely with hickory-smoked bacon and provides a contrast to the fresh pea flavor of this dish, which is delivered three ways: pea-flavored broth, sugar snap peas and a topping of sautéed pea tendrils. Before those peas are gone from the markets, this is one great dish for singing their praises.

Three-Peas Farro Risotto with Bacon

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (may also use vegetable broth)
1 cup water
2 cups shelled fresh English peas
4 oz. hickory-smoked bacon, diced (I recommend Benton's)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro (rinsed)
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
1 lb. sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and peas cut in half
1/2 grated cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 oz. pea shoots

1. Bring chicken broth and water to a low simmer. And peas and simmer while you prep the other ingredients and start the risotto.

2. Heat a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisped and brown. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove excess rendered fat to leave about 1 tbsp. in the pot.

3. Add 1 tbsp. unsalted butter to pot. When melted, add onion and sauté until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the farro and cook, stirring occasionally to toast, about 5 minutes.

4. Add cooked bacon back to the pot, then add the white wine. Stir frequently as the wine cooks down until the point when a spoon swiped across the bottom of the pot leaves bare pot that isn't immediately covered with liquid.

5. Strain out the peas from the chicken broth and discard them. Start adding the warm broth by the ladle to the farro, stirring to incorporate and cooking until each added ladle of liquid is incorporated so that the bottom of the pot can be seen when a spoon is swiped across it. After about half of the broth has been incorporated, stir in the sugar snap peas. Continue adding broth until the grain is tender but still chewy (you may not need all the broth). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the grated parmesan cheese.

6. While the risotto cooks, heat olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add pea shoots, season with salt and cook until wilted and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

7. Serve the risotto in shallow bowls topped with a few of the sautéed pea shoots.

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

This colorful spring salad is all about contrast, both in flavor and texture. It mingles smoky chewy bacon with crisp raw sugar snap peas, earthy roasted chickpeas and creamy fresh ricotta. A drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness.

Snap Pea and Bacon Salad with Ricotta and Roasted Chickpeas

Makes 2 salads

15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoned salt, to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)
Smoked paprika, to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
4 oz. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
8 oz. sugar snap peas, cut into halves or thirds
3 radishes, thinly sliced
10-12 spearmint leaves, torn into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh ricotta cheese (if time permits, use homemade)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine chickpeas, 1 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned salt and smoked paprika in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Spread chickpeas in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned and a bit crispy, about 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until cooked through (lightly browned and crisp). Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, radishes and mint. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil with salt and pepper and pour over salad ingredients. Toss to combine.

5. Divide the ricotta and spread it on the bottom of two plates. Divide the dressed ingredients and place on top of the ricotta. Top each plate with half of the roasted chickpeas, half the cooked bacon and a drizzle of half the reduced balsamic vinegar.

Broiled Arctic Char with Smoky Collard Greens

Washington Post Food columnist Ellie Krieger wrote recently about "spring swaps," substituting different ingredients for things you may be over-using in the kitchen.

Salmon certainly gets a lot of use in our home. We have it almost every Monday way as an easy way to start the week with something healthy. But yes, we do suffer "salmon fatigue" from time-to-time, so I welcomed Krieger's suggestion to change-up our salmon night by instead using Arctic char. The fish is similar to salmon in many respects with a similar but milder flavor.

I broiled the Arctic char in a similar fashion to how I cook our salmon but with slightly less time, since the fillet was thinner than I usually get for salmon. I served the fish with collard greens and bacon, a wonderfully smoky accompaniment.

Broiled Arctic Char with Smoky Collard Greens

4oz. thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips

4 garlic cloves, minced (divided)

1 bunch of collard greens, stems removed and discarded, leaves cut into 1-inch strips

1/4 cup water

1-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Generous pinch of aleppo pepper

Olive oil spray

3/4 lb. arctic char fillet

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Generous pinch of hickory-smoked sea salt (may substitute seasoned salt or regular salt)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook and lightly browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove grease from the pan in excess of about 2 tbsp.

2. Add 2 tsp. minced garlic to skillet and stir until fragrant, then add the greens and stir to combine with the garlic and gat. Cook about 5 minutes until the greens have wilted. Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan with lid. Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer until the greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Stir in the cooked bacon, vinegar and aleppo pepper.

3. Preheat oven broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil spray. Place the fish with the skin-side down on the baking sheet. Combine remaining 2 tsp. minced garlic with rosemary, smoked sea salt, pepper and olive oil and spread on top of the fish. Broil about 4 minutes, then the turn the fish over and broil another 4 minutes. Remove and discard the skin. Check for doneness (broil another minute if not cooked through to desired doneness). Serve over collard greens with a squeeze of lemon.

Punchier Potato-Leek Soup: Enhancing a Classic with More Flavor

Soon spring produce will be arriving, and I'll be switching my focus to all those wonderful fresh flavors. I'm starting to see asparagus at the grocery store, but for now, we're still mostly looking at winter vegetables.

So it's a good time for one last hearty winter soup, and potato-leek soup seems perfect. It feels like a good soup for transitioning into spring: vegetable focused and not as heavy as many other winter soups.

Yet, when I made a batch of it recently, I was disappointed. I found it too lacking in flavor. Leeks are like onions but milder and potatoes are...potatoes. They are always mild. A little bay leaf, salt and pepper just wasn't enough to satisfy my craving for bolder flavors. Was it possible to create a potato-leek soup with a little more punch but without overwhelming these two key ingredients.

I threw the question out during a recent Washington Post Free Range on Food Chat and got a lot of great responses, such as adding herbs or other spices (a no-brainer), other vegetables (like watercress or mushrooms), curry powder (a great idea I'd like to try sometime) and ham or chicken. The last suggestion got me thinking about using bacon, which goes well with just about anything, but it always a welcome partner for potatoes and onion. I figured it would work nicely in this soup.

I learned the best way to prep leeks from New York Times writer Melissa Clark. First cut off the dark green part, then slice the leek in half through the root (don't cut the root off yet). Then clean the leeks under running water, separating the layers with your hands as needed. Because the root is still intact, the layers hold together, making the leek easier to clean. Shake off the water, then slice the leeks.

For maximum bacon flavor, I used Benton's hickory-smoked bacon, which I've mentioned before is my favorite. I only needed 1/3 of a pound (4 or 5 strips) to add some nice smoky and meaty undertones. Although I pureed the soup for a smooth texture, I kept the bacon out of the soup for that step, as I wanted it in larger pieces. A search for potato-leek soup recipes with bacon led me to a great one by Food Network Kitchen, aspects of which I used as the template for the recipe below.

But bacon alone wasn't enough. I wanted some tang, so I was intrigued by J. Kenji López-Alt's Serious Eats recipe, which calls for adding buttermilk in addition to cream. Most buttermilk I see at the grocery store is reduced-fat, but Whole Foods has whole cultured buttermilk. I decided to use a little bit more of that than López-Alt's recipe called for and skip the cream. For spice, I used freshly ground white pepper and just a little bit of chipotle pepper hot sauce, which added some additional smokiness.

This soup was exactly what I was looking for. It was still clearly potato-leek soup but with a more complex flavor rounded out with smoke, tang and spice.

Punchier Potato-Leek Soup
Elements adapted from recipes by Food Network Kitchen and J. Kenji López-Alt for Serious Eats

1/3 lb. hickory-smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large leeks, cleaned and white and green parts sliced into 1/4-inch strips
2 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cup whole cultured buttermilk
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. Tabasco chipotle hot sauce (optional)
Freshly snipped chives

1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off excess bacon fat, leaving about 1 tbsp. in the pot.

2. Add butter to pot and, when melted, add the garlic and leeks. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the potato, chicken stock, water and bay leaf and season with salt and white pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the cooked bacon, buttermilk, nutmeg and (if desired) the hot sauce. Serve in bowls topped with a generous sprinkle of fresh chives.