Savory Baked Beans - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup dried navy beans (or other small beans)
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon oil (your choice)
2 small sweet pickles, chopped
1 (8 1/4 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, mashed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

Wash and pick over beans. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
Add bay leaf, garlic, onion and parsley to the beans. Bring to a boil again. Cover loosely and simmer for 45 minutes, or until beans are just tender. Note: the times will vary with the type of bean you choose. Drain, if necessary. Put beans in 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Meanwhile, saute celery in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add pickles, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir mixture into beans. Cover. Bake at 250\u00b0 for 2 hours. Uncover. Sprinkle with the cheese. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer.