Vegan baked beans

Ingredients:

• 30 g dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup tomato puree (8 to 12% solids)
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/4 tbsp. vegan molasses
• 2 tablespoons vegan light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 450 g dry white beans, sorted
• 8 cups lightly salted vegetable broth

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Place the dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them, making sure each mushroom is submerged. Let sit for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid. Finely chop the swollen mushrooms and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and sliced ​​mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are slightly softened, 3–4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, chili pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the tomato puree, bourbon, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the beans, vegetable broth, and mushroom liquid. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and bake until the beans are tender, about 3 hours.
5. Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake until the sauce thickens and the beans begin to brown on top, about 30 minutes.
   
   

   Note

   
   If too much liquid evaporates from the beans while baking and you prefer more sauce, add water.