Freshly cooked dried beans are not as appreciated as they should be. They're good with chili, but you should try this as a side dish with almost anything else, or even by itself.
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried beans (pink, red, kidney, or pinto)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 thick slices bacon, chopped
1 medium hot pepper, diced fine
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cumin
Wash and pick over the beans to remove any stones or broken pieces. Place in a bowl and cover with water to a depth of several inches and let soak overnight. I will often soak in salt water for the first half of the soak and then finish in fresh.
In a large pot, cook the bacon and onion until the bacon is barely done 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin, and pepper and cook another minute. Add the drained beans, salt and cover with water as before, cook at a simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are fully cooked. Add more water or salt if necessary during cooking. Serves about 6.