If ever there was a MVP recipe, this is it. If you can boil water, you can make these creamy black beans, which will then become the backbone of a week’s worth of meals. Here’s the recipe:
Basic Black Beans
Serves 6
1 pound dried black beans
2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced yellow or white onion
Rinse the beans and pick out any stones or broken beans and discard. Transfer the beans to a heavy pot and cover with a few inches of water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, cover the pot partially and turn the heat to medium. Cook the beans, partially covered, for 20 minutes (the liquid should be boiling; if it isn’t, turn up the heat slightly).
Reduce the heat to low and cook the beans, still partially covered, until just tender, about 1 hour more. Uncover the beans and give them a stir and, if the water level is looking low, add more hot water so the beans are covered by about an inch. In a small frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Pour the onions and oil into the pot of beans.
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until the beans and very tender and the liquid is thick, about 20 minutes more. Season to taste with additional salt.
How to serve: with a spoonful of sour cream, some chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a stack of tortillas; over rice, drizzled with some thick coconut milk; in a bowl, solo, creamy and delicious.