The navy bean, haricot, pearl haricot bean, boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean, is a variety of the common bean native to the Americas, where it was domesticated. It is a small, dry white bean which is smaller than many other types of white beans, and has an oval, slightly flattened shape. Wikipedia

Cooking dried beans in the 1800s wasn’t much different from cooking them today except with no electricity, housewives had to keep a fire going the whole time.

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

HARICOT BEANS
Common small white haricot beans are called navy beans from the fact that they are much used in the navy. In the preparation of this dish, as well as any other made from dried beans, it will be well to remember that one-half cup of beans is usually sufficient to serve four persons when they are cooked.

HOW TO DRESS HARICOT BEANS
Look over the required amount of beans, reject any that are imperfect, and wash thoroughly. Put a quart of white haricot beans in plenty of cold water in a pan to soak through the night. The next day, drain off the water in which they have soaked and put them into a pot with three quarts of cold water, a little grease or butter, some pepper and salt, and set them on the fire to boil very gently until they are thoroughly done; about two hours’ gentle boiling.

The haricot beans are to be drained free from excess of moisture and put into a saucepan with chopped parsley, butter, pepper and salt. Stir the whole carefully on the fire for five minutes, and serve them for dinner with or without meat as may best suit your means.

HARICOT BEAN SALAD
Well-boiled cold haricot beans are made into an excellent salad, as follows: put the haricot beans into a bowl, season with chopped parsley, green onions, salad oil, vinegar, pepper and salt, and slices of beet-root. Mix thoroughly.

BEAN SOUP, OR PUREE OF HARICOT BEANS
Put a quart of haricot beans into soak overnight, and put a little piece of soda* in the water to soften it. The next morning, put the beans on to boil in three quarts of water with some carrot, celery and onion, or the beans can be boiled in some stock made from these vegetables. After the beans are tender, pound them in a mortar, and then rub the whole through a wire sieve, after first removing the carrot, celery and onion. Add a teaspoon of pounded sugar* and about two ounces of butter.  If the soup is liked thin, of course more water can be added.

It is a great improvement to add a little boiling cream, but of course this makes the soup much more expensive. Some cooks add a spoonful of blanched, chopped parsley to this purée, and Frenchmen generally flavor this soup with garlic.

*soda – baking soda
*pounded sugar – sugar used to be sold in hard cones or loaves. You would cut a chunk off and pound it to granules to add to a recipe

BAKED BEANS
Almost any kind of dried beans may be used for baking. Some persons prefer the small navy beans, whereas others like the larger marrowfat beans or Lima beans. Pinto beans have for some time been taking the place of navy beans, and are found to be a very good substitute. To bake beans successfully, a dish with a tight-fitting cover is required. This is made of heavy glass, but if such a utensil is not available, very satisfactory results can be obtained by using a heavy earthen bowl, crock, or baking dish. To produce the delicious flavor that is agreeable to most persons, beans should be baked a long time. Therefore, as considerable heat is consumed in their cooking, it is a wise plan to prepare more than enough for one meal.

RICH BAKED BEANS [SALT ONLY]
Wash beans and get them into boiling salted water, in the bean pot, as quickly as possible. For each pint of beans, use one and one-fourth teaspoon of salt. Add plenty of water at first, perhaps three times the quantity of beans. Put into a hot oven* until they begin to boil, then reduce the temperature to such a degree as will keep them just simmering for from twelve to twenty-four hours. The old-fashioned New England baked beans were kept in a brick oven for three days, and each day they were better than the last.

Do not stir the beans after the skins begin to break. When necessary to add more water, pour it boiling over the top and let it settle in gradually. A gentle shaking may be helpful. After they are swollen and softened, they should not have too much water on at a time, nor be baked too fast; if so, they will be “mushy.”

*hot oven – a  hot (or quick) oven is about 400-450 degrees fahrenheit

BOSTON BAKED BEANS No. 1
Pick over and wash three cupfuls of small white beans. Cover with cold water and soak over night. In the morning, put them on the stove, just to scald, not boil, in the same water. Pour off the water and put into an earthen bean-pot. Add seven teaspoons of sugar, one teaspoon of salt, one half-pound of salt pork, fat and lean mixed. Cover with water, and bake from eight a.m. until six p.m. As the water boils away, add more.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS No. 2
Soak one pint of beans in plenty of cold water overnight and in the morning, carefully wash and place in a saucepan and cover again with water. Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes, and then drain and place in a casserole or baking dish, and add:
One-half pound of salt pork, cut into two-inch blocks
One cup of stewed tomatoes rubbed through a sieve
Four tablespoons of molasses
One teaspoon of salt
One onion, chopped fine
One-half teaspoon of pepper
One-quarter teaspoon of mustard
Mix well and then add sufficient water to cover. Bake in a moderate oven* for three hours.

*moderate oven –a moderate oven is about 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit

BAKED PORK AND BEANS
Look over one quart of dried beans, what is known as “navy beans” being the best, and soak overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain off the water in the morning, and put on to boil in cold water till tender, at least one hour. An earthen pot is always best for this, as a shallow dish does not allow enough water to keep them from drying. Drain off the water. Put the beans in the pot. Take half a pound of salt pork, fat and lean together being best. Score the skin in small squares with a knife, and bury it, all but the surface of this rind, in the beans. If pork is disliked, use a large spoonful of butter instead.

Cover the beans completely with boiling water. Stir in one tablespoon of salt, and two of good molasses. A teaspoon of made mustard is sometimes stirred in, and gives an excellent flavor to a pot of baked beans. Cover, and bake slowly, not less than five hours, renewing the water if it bakes away. Take off the cover an hour before they are done, that the pork may brown a little.

Cold baked beans can be warmed in a frying-pan with a little water, and are even better than at first. Double the quality if the family is large, as they keep perfectly well in winter.

Image from Deposit Photos

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