I believe that my favorite type of bean is the butter bean (also known as a lima bean) for its meaty, hearty quality, and its large size. We’re talking now about the large, white dried beans, generally labeled lima beans, not the small green frozen limas. Here’s an article on it. Baked Butter Beans, while requiring a day and half preparation time because of the long soaking period, are actually quite easy to make. And the results are very satisfying with a deep, rich smoky flavor. They can serve as a main course or a nice side dish.
Wash the beans and remove any dirt fragments. Place the beans in a large kettle and fill it with cold water. Let the beans soak overnight.
Soak the beans.
Next day, boil the beans in the soaking liquid for 25-30 minutes until somewhat tender. You may want to skim off the foam while it’s boiling. Remove the beans with a slotted ladle or spoon. Reserve the cooking liquid, but keep it at a slow boil. Place 1⁄3 of the beans in a Dutch oven or casserole.
Chop the bacon into small cubes.
Chop the bacon.
Chop the onion. Begin cooking the chopped bacon in a skillet until it begins to render some fat. Add the chopped onion, and continue to cook until the onion is tender and the bacon is lightly browned, but not crisp.
Fry the bacon and onions.
Chop the fresh sage leaves. Snip the rosemary, and strip the thyme leaves from the stems. Feel free to use whatever herbs you like. I believe the combination I’ve provided, which includes dry savory, is particularly tasty.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard, vinegar, and tomato paste with about 1 cup of the boiling bean liquid.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients.
Over the beans in the casserole, add 1⁄3 of the herbs, including some dry savory, and the bacon and onions.
Layer the beans,bacon, and herbs.
Add 1⁄3 of the whisked mixture. Continue with two more layers of beans, herbs, bacon and onions, and whisked mixture. Add enough of the boiling bean water to cover the mixture in the casserole.
Cover the beans with cooking water.
Taste for seasoning.
Bake uncovered in a preheated 350° oven for about 1 1⁄2 hours or until the beans are tender, but still whole. If the water evaporates too much add a little of the boiling bean liquid during the baking process. You don’t want Baked Butter Beans to be dry. There should be some sauce remaining. Don’t add any liquid for the last half hour so that the top will brown nicely.
