(Adapted from The NYTimes New England Heritage Cookbook)
Meat Balls with Brown Beans - Vermont
Brown beans:
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 1/2 quarts water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teas salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
Meat balls:
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup milk
3 T bacon drippings
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teas salt
1/2 teas black peper
1/2 teas ground allspice
1 teas nutmeg
1 cup water, approximate
1. Wash pinto beans and soak in the water overnight. The next day, brinking the beans and soaking water to a boil; cover, simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add vinegar, salt and maple syrup; cook 30 minutes longer.
2. Soak bread crumbs in milk for 15 minutes. Melt 2 T of the bacon drippings and sautee the onion in the drippings until tender.
3. Mix together, the soaked bread crumbs, onion, ground meats, eggs, and seasonings. Shape into 1 -inch balls
4. Melt remaining bacon drippings in a heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup of water and simmer, covered until the meaballs are tender and cooked through, 20-30 minutes. Add more water if necessary while cooking.
5. Serve meatballs over, or in the middle of a circle of, the brown beans.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Lee's note: Since there are so many great prepared products nowadays, I can see that a lot of shortcuts can be taken for this dish. Adding maple syrup to a can of baked beans and bacon drippings to your meatballs would pretty much duplicate this New England dinner!
I just never thought of serving meatballs on top of baked beans!
Meat Balls with Brown Beans - Vermont
Brown beans:
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 1/2 quarts water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teas salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
Meat balls:
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup milk
3 T bacon drippings
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teas salt
1/2 teas black peper
1/2 teas ground allspice
1 teas nutmeg
1 cup water, approximate
1. Wash pinto beans and soak in the water overnight. The next day, brinking the beans and soaking water to a boil; cover, simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add vinegar, salt and maple syrup; cook 30 minutes longer.
2. Soak bread crumbs in milk for 15 minutes. Melt 2 T of the bacon drippings and sautee the onion in the drippings until tender.
3. Mix together, the soaked bread crumbs, onion, ground meats, eggs, and seasonings. Shape into 1 -inch balls
4. Melt remaining bacon drippings in a heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup of water and simmer, covered until the meaballs are tender and cooked through, 20-30 minutes. Add more water if necessary while cooking.
5. Serve meatballs over, or in the middle of a circle of, the brown beans.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Lee's note: Since there are so many great prepared products nowadays, I can see that a lot of shortcuts can be taken for this dish. Adding maple syrup to a can of baked beans and bacon drippings to your meatballs would pretty much duplicate this New England dinner!
I just never thought of serving meatballs on top of baked beans!