As a kid I loved the Bud Spencer & Terence Hill movies! Great stories, even greater comments and… cool food. Just remember them grubbing a full pan of beans and bacon fresh from the campfire and niftily stolen from some starving-ass villains (and occasionally sharing it with their horses). Here’s my (very simple) version – a tradition for the last 20 years:

Ingredients (for one person):

• 1 can of baked beans, around 400g / 14oz.
• 1 pckg. bacon, around 120g / 4oz.
• 1 medium onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• Salt, pepper and tabasco sauce to taste.

What to do:

It’s easy. Chop the onion into half rings, mince the garlic coarsely and cut the bacon into small strips crosswise. Heat your pan (preferrably heavy cast iron of course, just for reminiscence) to medium high heat and fry garlic, onion and bacon until lightly browned. You may need to add a splash of oil, but not much since the bacon will release enough fat.

Add the contents of your bean can, washing it out with 1/2 cup of water that you can add as well. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Add a little dried thyme (completely optional) and season with pepper and your favourite hot sauce to taste. You won’t need too much salt, since the bacon is already very salty. Let everything reduce a little until the sauce is thick as desired.