There appears to be some doubt as to whether Guy Fawkes Night is held to celebrate the defeat of the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament or to celebrate the plot itself. I am convinced that this says something interesting about the British psyche, but I’m not quite sure what.

Throwing myself into the spirit of the event, I propose an evening of treason, vicious back-stabbing, nasty politics and ghastly intrigue. Or you can stop watching the news and head for a good bonfire.

But first, the food. Baked potatoes are an obvious choice, acting as edible hand-warmers in their silver-foil wraps. Top with grated Cheddar cheese and crumbled crisped bacon, or go upmarket with smoked salmon, crème fraiche and chives. Burgers tucked into lightly toasted muffins with tomato chutney go down well in the firelight. A wide-mouthed flask filled with thick minestrone or a spicy lentil soup will have them queueing around the block.

Yorkshire Parkin, a sticky cake of oatmeal and treacle, is a traditional gambit to fill and so close the mouths of small children for minutes at a time.

Hot pies and one-pot stews go down a treat, but it’s a bit late to start thinking about that now. Luckily, beans and sausages are perfect bonfire material and can be tossed together as easily as the tree prunings and newspapers; hence the recipe for bonfire beans shown here. I’ve used Viennese frankfurters to represent firecrackers, and cracked black pepper for the gunpowder. If you don’t wish to blow anyone up, omit the pepper.

Ingredients
Serves 4

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min

Serve in deep bowls for outside, or ladle over toast.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g canned tomatoes, chopped or 400ml tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp golden syrup or soft brown sugar
100ml water
800g canned white beans, eg, cannellini
2 tbsp fine-chopped parsley
sea salt and pepper
4 Viennese frankfurters
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed (optional)

Method

Combine the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes or tomato passata, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and sugar in a saucepan and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring. Drain the beans and rinse well. Add the beans, water and parsley and cook for 10 minutes. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Heat the frankfurters in a pot of simmering (not boiling) water for 10 minutes, then drain. Cut each frankfurter in three and serve sticking into a deep bowl of beans, or slice the frankfurters into shorter “firecrackers” and mix lightly through the beans. Scatter with crushed black pepper if using, and serve.

jill.dupleix@thetimes.co.uk

Very Simple Food by Jill Dupleix is published by Quadrille at £20. Order from Times Books Direct for £16, plus £1.95 p&p. 0870-160 8080

Times Recommends

• Champagne cocktail
• Food that's good for body and soul
• Joe McCanta’s never-fail hangover-relief shake