Tastes like Heinz
Hands up who can´t resist a bowl of Heinz cream of tomato soup? Hands up who wants the very same soup but without the sugar,modified cornflour,dried skimmed milk,acidity regulator etc? Well Anything is possible and here it is.In Portugal these imported products are quite pricey and not that readily available to quell expat cravings, so I decided to make my own, and not only that I had a stab at making my own home made "Heinz style" baked beans(below).I put my culinary Clouseau head on and experimented with several flavour combinations to find out what could achieve that unique Heinz taste but additive free.Well even the thespian was impressed and when it comes to Heinz cream of tomato soup,its hard to pass his finishing post a winner, but he gave it the thumbs up.Currently Kraft Heinz is struggling to adapt to consumers' changing tastes and their aversion to processed food.A sharp slide in sales and earnings has shown consumers trying to embrace plant-based products.My version is not completely vegan,I must admit as it contains butter,but no artificial additives.
250g tomatoes,skinned, seeded and chopped
300g butternut squash,sliced as thinly as possible (on a mandolin)
60g butter
1 small onion, about 100g,sliced as thinly as possible
garlic,1 clove crushed
celery,1 small stick chopped
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp allspice
250ml tomato puree
Up to 700ml milk as required to dilute
Sweat the butternut squash, onion and celery with the butter in heavy based pan for 10 minutes,add the thyme turmeric and allspice and mix well continuing to cook until fragrant.Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and 300ml water.Turn the heat up and cook covered for 30 minutes.Allow to cool slightly then with a stick or hand blender blitz the soup until very thick and creamy.Slowly add up to 700ml of milk until you reach the desired consistency.You should not need as much as 700ml.
They could be Heinz baked beans
Sometimes home comforts are the things you miss when your abroad When HJ Heinz sold his first tin of baked beans to Fortnum and Mason in London in 1886, few would’ve predicted the start of a national love affair. Yet 134 years later, baked beans are a staple for millions of Brits – synonymous with cooked breakfasts and student suppers on toast.These days, baked beans are often sold by supermarkets as a loss leader. But in 1886, Fortnum’s displayed Heinz’s tins proudly, as a pricey and exotic American import.
Reading recipes for "baked" beans it seems its only yours truly that actually bakes the beans: others, faithful to the happily misleading name, stew them instead (though sadly not inside tins, like the real deal).Beans Meanz ...Baked,I say.
500g / 17.5oz of Haricot Beans
Enough water to cover the beans
2 tablespoons of Oil
1 Diced Onion
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Mixed Herbs
1/2 a teaspoon of Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of Paprika
1 can of chopped Tomatoes
2 dessertspoons of Brown Sugar
2 cups of Tomato Sauce (Passata)
Place the dried beans in to a large bowl and completely cover with cold water. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to soak overnight or up to 24 hours.
After the beans have soaked, place the onions into a pan with the oil. Add the salt, mixed herbs, black pepper and paprika and give it all a quick mix through. Pour in the canned tomato, add the sugar and tomato sauce. Stir everything together. Drain most of the water from the soaked beans and add the beans to the tomato sauce. Place the lid on the pan and gently cook the beans in a medium oven180C for 2 – 3 hours until the beans are nice and tender. If the sauce becomes too dry add some water to the pan.
Once the beans are tender and cooked remove them from the oven and allow the beans to completely cool down.
When the beans are cooled transfer them into sterilised jars or mason jars and store the beans in the fridge.
I found the beans mature the longer you keep them, so I tend to leave the beans at least 24 hours before consuming them.
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