ingridients:
1 lb. dry black beans
8-10 cups of water
1 to 10 cloves of garlic finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil to fry the garlic (a few tablespoons)
about 2 teaspoons of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup of white wine or 1 tablespoon vinegar
spices (1 to 2 tsp each, fresh finely chopped or dry): cilantro, parsley, dill, cumin seeds, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, sage, fennel seeds
(optional: 2 to 4 bay leaves)

preparation:
Look through beans for dirt and twigs, then wash, put in water, let boil for 2 minutes and stand for 1-2 hours. Drain. Fill pot with new water & the beans, and put on the stove.

While waiting for the beans to come to boil, heat the oil on the skillet and throw in the garlic, crushed red pepper, and fennel & cumin seeds, fry on low heat.

Once the beans come to boil, remove foam. Put in the rest of the ingridients. Lower the flame, cook for 5 to 6 hrs, stirring occasionally (every 30 minutes or so, more often towards the end). Depending on personal preference, you might want to cover the beans for the final hour to increase the amount of the liquid.

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