1. Drain the soaked beans and rinse under cold running water. Place them in a saucepan, cover with plenty of fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 50–60 minutes or until tender. Drain well and place in a flameproof casserole dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the shallots, garlic and celery, and sauté for about 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the dried herbs, cider and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the sugar, treacle and mustard to the tomato sauce, and mix. Pour the sauce over the beans and stir to mix. Cover the casserole and bake for 3 1⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve the Boston baked beans hot, garnished with Italian parsley.

Boston baked beans variations: Instead of white navy beans, you can substitute other dried beans, such as black-eyed beans or cannellini beans.

preparation time 15 min
cooking time 5 hours, plus 8 hours soaking
serves 6

PER SERVING

146 calories
4 g protein
4 g total fat
0.4 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
19 g total carbohydrate
16 g sugars
5 g fibre
61 mg sodium

Treacle is a sticky fluid refined from molasses. Though it is primarily carbohydrate in the form of sugar, black treacle can provide useful amounts of potassium, calcium and iron.