Spicy, Citrusy Black Beans

Ingredients

• 4 cups dried black beans
• 2 1/2 quarts water
• 2-3 fresh sprigs oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 small or 3 large sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 chopped peppers – bell pepper, Anaheim, or jalapeño, seeds, stems and ribs discarded
• 6 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons Ancho red chili sauce, or chili powder or Tabasco to taste
• 1-2 teaspoons of puréed chipotle in adobo, chipotle Tabasco, or chipotle powder, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cumin, crushed whole toasted cumin seed is best, if possible
• 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate or 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. To soak the beans, if you’d like, rinse them well and pick through for any small stones or beans that look dried out. Either leave them in cold water overnight with plenty of water above them, cover them with boiling water by a few inches and leave them for an hour, or skip soaking altogether. Soaking shortens the cook time; if you do it, pour off that liquid before cooking.
2. Put the beans in a large pot and add 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) of water. Stir in the oregano, bay leaves, and sage, then bring everything up to a boil. Lower the heat so the pot settles into a gentle simmer.
3. Cook the beans until they are tender but still need a little more time. Depending on the size, age, and dryness of the beans, and whether they were soaked first, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.
4. As the beans cook, warm the olive oil and sauté the onions and peppers until they’ve softened. Stir in the chili sauce, chili powder, and/or chili purée, along with the cumin and garlic, and cook until the mixture smells toasty and aromatic.
5. Pull out the bay leaves, oregano stems, and sage leaves from the bean pot and throw them away. Ladle off and save any extra bean-cooking liquid, leaving about 1/2-inch of liquid over the beans.
6. Scrape the onion mixture into the beans and add the salt. Continue cooking for another hour or so, until the beans have thickened, adding some of the saved cooking liquid if the pot needs it.
7. Stir in half of the orange juice and let the beans simmer. Taste the heat now and decide whether you want to work in more chili paste.
8. Right before serving, mix in the rest of the orange juice, plus the lime juice and vinegar. Taste and add salt as needed, then finish with chopped fresh cilantro.
9. Serve with corn tortillas, and/or rice, sour cream, and salsa.