Serves 8.
Ingredients
1 lb dry small white beans
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce or mushroom soy sauce
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Directions
Pick over the beans, removing any stones or shriveled beans, and place them in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the molasses, sugar, tomato paste, chipotles, onion, mustard and Worcestershire. Pour in enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch, and stir everything together.
Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
If the beans are not tender, cook for an additional 30 minutes and check again. If they are tender (and they should be), remove from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place in a mixing bowl.
Pour the liquid from the cooker into a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil on the stove over medium heat. Be careful, because the liquid has sugar in it, and it will bubble up at first as the water begins to boil out. Reduce the heat to low, and boil the liquid until it is reduced by half and slightly thickened. Taste (carefully!), and season with salt and pepper.
Reunite the liquid with the cooked beans, and stir gently to combine. Serve hot, or cool completely and refrigerate. The beans will be even better the second day.