Best Ever Black Beans

Sometimes, I roll my eyes at the idea of cooking beans from scratch, because seriously, who has the time?

But these are quick, easy, and exceedingly delicious. And you can make a giant pot on the weekend to last the whole week (or freeze for your future self, who as you know tends to open the freezer door and gaze longingly around in search of magical ready made dinners at least twice a week). And if you forget to start soaking them the night before (which I do 3 out of 4 times), you can start them soaking in the morning and just simmer them a little longer later on.

Ingredients
3 cups dried black beans, rinsed and soaked for 6 hours or overnight
olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and scored
1/2 tsp cumin
1 jalapeño, minced (or sub cayenne pepper to taste)
2" peel of orange zest (use a carrot peeler)
1" peel of Meyer lemon zest
1 bay leaf
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp oregano

Serve with:
red rice, brown rice, or polenta
a little grated pepper jack cheese (between the rice and beans, or stirred with the polenta)
diced avocado and/or chopped cilantro (optional)

After soaking, drain the beans. In a large pot, saute the shallot and garlic for a couple of minutes until the shallot softens. Add the cumin and saute another 30 seconds. Stir in the beans, then add water until it's about an inch above the top of the beans. Set back on the stove and bring to a boil while you toss in all the other ingredients, then cover the pot. Turn the heat down when it reaches a boil, and simmer gently for 30-90 minutes or until beans are tender and creamy. (Cooking time will depend on the age of the beans and how long you soaked them...start with 30 minutes and then taste them every 15-20 minutes after that until desired consistency.)

Fish out the bay leaf. Adjust oregano and salt to taste, then let sit until you're ready to eat.

Serves 8-10.