INGREDIENTS

500g white beans

1 smoked pork hock, rind scored

2 onions, finely chopped

3 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)

1 tbsp tomato paste

100ml beer or red wine

2 tbsp cider or red wine vinegar

3 tbsp maple syrup or dark brown sugar

dash of hot chilli sauce

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp mustard or mustard powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp cracked black pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley for serving

METHOD

1. Cover beans with cold water and soak overnight.

2. Drain beans and place in a large pot with the pork hock and chopped onion. Add cold water to cover by 4cm, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Take out the pork and remove the meat, discarding bone and most of the rind. Roughly chop the smoked pork.

4. Preheat oven to 160C. In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, beer, vinegar, maple syrup, chilli sauce, worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for five minutes.

5. Transfer beans, onions and the cooking liquid to a large lidded ovenproof casserole. Add the chopped smoked pork and the sauce, stirring, then add water or stock to the level of the beans. Cover tightly and bake in the oven for one hour or until the beans are tender, stirring once or twice.

6. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes until browned. Scatter with parsley and serve.

Serves 6

Tortillas with refried beans and salsa salad

An easy way to spice up a midweek dinner or snack, with a genius version of refried beans that uses no oils or fats.

INGREDIENTS

2 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained

1 cup vegetable stock or water

1 tsp chipotle in adobo, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp smoked paprika

sea salt and pepper

4 soft flour or corn tortillas

80g cheddar or tasty cheese, grated

2 cups baby cos or iceberg, finely shredded

cut lime for serving

Salsa salad

1 tomato, finely diced

1 avocado, finely diced

1 tsp pickled jalapenos, finely diced

1 tbsp lime juice

½ red onion, finely sliced

1 cup coriander sprigs

METHOD

1. In a frypan, combine all but 100g of beans with vegetable stock or water, and bring to the boil. Add the chipotle in adobo, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, sea salt and pepper and simmer for five minutes, stirring.

2. While still soupy, mash the beans in the pan using a potato masher until you have a creamy, spreadable mixture that has absorbed all the liquid. Keep warm.

3. Make the salsa salad: lightly toss the tomato, avocado, jalapenos, red onion and coriander with reserved red kidney beans, one tablespoon lime juice, sea salt and pepper.

4. Spread one tortilla with refried beans and scatter with grated cheese. Fry in a hot, dry frypan for two minutes or until lightly browned underneath. Slide onto a warm plate and repeat with remaining tortillas.

5. Top with shredded lettuce and salsa salad, and serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4

9 winning ways with beans

■ Pile leftover baked beans into a baking dish, cover with garlicky breadcrumbs, dot with butter and bake until crisp.

■ Scatter white beans over pizza with roasted cauliflower, mozzarella and anchovies.

■ Whizz a can of white beans with a can of tuna in oil, smoked paprika and cumin, and serve with baby cos leaves or potato crisps for dipping.

■ Beans and eggs are legendary together. Add chilli beans to an egg and bacon roll with avocado and coriander.

■ Sounds weird, but a ladleful of braised tomato beans folded into risotto at the last minute is delish.

■ Load your nachos with black beans, corn kernels, cheese and chilli salsa.

■ Oven-baked sausages + beans + roasted tomatoes = heaven.

■ Toss wilted silverbeet with beans, smoky bacon and lots of chilli.

■ Turn minestrone into beanastrone with a three-bean mix of borlotti, lima and cannellini.