Sausages, cheese, chilli all probably spring immediately to mind, but have you considered wine or sage instead?.
How can I make a tin of baked beans tastier? “You’ve come to the right place,” says food writer Melek Erdal. “One of my most popular recipes ever was jazzed-up beans on toast, which came out of lockdown, when we were all utilising everything.” Essentially, when it comes to injecting flavour into baked beans, it’s all about the base, and for Erdal that means toasting spices (cumin seeds, ground coriander, aleppo chilli) in an ovenproof pan, then adding “the magic triangle”, namely ginger, garlic and chilli, and some oil. “Add the beans, crumble feta on top, then pop it in the oven until the top caramelises.” Erdal might also add a drizzle of tahini, “for a take on shakshuka, and a lovely brunch or lunch.”.
In a similar riffable vein, Eleanor Maidment, author of Pulse, makes a base of chorizo and red peppers, then adds beans and poaches some eggs in them. Cured meat is, of course, always a good idea, too: “Baked beans are quite sweet, so savoury things work really well with them,” Maidment says. “Fry onions and bacon, then add the beans and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, say.”.
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