St. John Beans and Bacon

Name: St. John Beans and Bacon
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 1 pound dried white beans, soaked overnight; 1/4 cup duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound salt pork or pancetta, cut into large lardons (about 1/4 inch by 1 inch); 1 quart good-quality chicken or meat stock; 6 garlic cloves, left whole (no need to peel); 1 large bouquet garni of sage, thyme, rosemary and parsley, tied; 2 large white or yellow onions, chopped; 2 leeks, trimmed, white and pale green parts thinly sliced; 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced; Sea salt and black pepper; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage; 1 (14-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes and their juices

Recipe from Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Published Feb. 19, 2020

St. John Beans and Bacon — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: About 2 hours, plus overnight soaking
Rating: 4(356)
Comments: Read comments

The London chef Fergus Henderson specializes in making British classics even more delicious at his popular restaurant St. John. Here’s his fragrant, richly flavored version of traditional baked beans with salt pork, a dish that evolved into an American staple. Using lots of fresh herbs and a little canned tomato is the key; pass crusty bread at the table to mop up the sauce. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: The Culinary Couple Who Built a British Empire

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

1pound dried white beans, soaked overnight
¼cup duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
1pound salt pork or pancetta, cut into large lardons (about ¼ inch by 1 inch)
1quart good-quality chicken or meat stock
6garlic cloves, left whole (no need to peel)
1large bouquet garni of sage, thyme, rosemary and parsley, tied
2large white or yellow onions, chopped
2leeks, trimmed, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
3celery stalks, thinly sliced
Sea salt and black pepper
3tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1(14-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes and their juices

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Drain the beans and put them in a medium pot. Cover by about 1 inch of cold water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are thoroughly giving (but not mushy). This will take approximately 1 to 2 hours, depending on the freshness of the beans. Once cooked, remove from the heat, but keep them in their liquor so they do not dry out.
Step 2
Get a large, deep pan hot and add the duck fat (or oil). Add the lardons and cook over low heat to render the fat, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
In a saucepan, combine stock, garlic cloves and bouquet garni. Heat to a simmer then cook, 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Step 4
When the lardons are golden, remove with a slotted spoon. To the fat in the pan, add onions, leeks and celery, season with salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and the entire tin of tomatoes and their juices, crushing the tomatoes in your hands as you do so. Let this cook down for 15 minutes to thicken the tomatoes, stirring to remove all the good lardon bits that might adhere to the pan. Stir in 1 cup of the simmered stock. Season to taste.
Step 5
Drain the beans and add them to the pan with the tomato mixture. Add the lardons and 1 more cup stock and gently mix everything together. Season very well with salt and pepper. Cover and let cook over low heat for 10 to 20 minutes, adding stock a ladleful at a time if the mixture seems to be drying out. Serve hot.

Ratings

4 out of 5

356 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Prakash Nadkarni5 years ago

This dish is a marvel of economy and unfussiness. Do the beans (soaked overnight) in an Instant Pot (the standard "beans" setting: 1/2 hr + natural release) using the 1 quart/950 ml stock instead of water. (Paul Prudhomme: "Water's only for washing!") Rather than bouquet garni (good luck finding fresh herbs in Feb), I use them dried (1/2 tsp each thyme, sage, parsley & rosemary; 2 tsp chopped garlic) much later, at the start of Step 5, to maximize flavor.

Bill Jefferys5 years ago

For many years I have been following the advice of America's Test Kitchen when soaking beans. Their advice: Brine the beans! Dissolve 3 T salt in 4 Qt. cold water. Soak the beans overnight, 8-24 hours. The result will be that the beans have a very creamy texture that is to die for. I highly recommend this any time you plan to use dried beans in a recipe like this.

sca5 years ago

no need to "yuck" someone else's "yum".

Alina3 months ago

I made this recently and it was the best bean dish I’ve ever had. I used 2 cans of white beans, dried herbs, and smoked bacon lardons. I halved the time for most steps out of laziness, and it was still amazing!

Alan2 years ago

Made as per the recipe. Delicious! A few notes: - This would be fine with less (expensive) pancetta, perhaps 3/4 lb. If you like it fairly crispy, allow for 45 minutes cooking instead of 20. Also don't need quite as much oil - try 1/8 cup instead of 1/4. - Finished this in the pot the beans cooked in, not the skillet the veggies cooked in; would not have been large enough. - Important! Cook the celery for a few minutes before adding the other veggies, otherwise, it will be too crunchy.

Kathryn in Portland, OR3 years ago

When you’re in a “pot of Beans” mood, this recipe is an easy step above the ordinary and devious beyond the ordinary.

Private comments are only visible to you.