Beanz, redux

[ellarien]

My first attempt at beans resulted in rather crunchy beans in yummy sauce. This time, I boiled the soaked beans (two cups, six cups of water) for ten minutes and let them simmer for an hour to give them a chance to soften before I added anything at all. Then I threw in a couple of chopped tomatoes, 1/3 cup molasses, two-thirds of an sauteed red onion, and some spices (1/2 teaspoon each of paprika and oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cumin and a sprinkle of black pepper) and let it simmer a bit longer, resulting in about seven cups of cooked beans that are flavorful and of acceptable texture. (Also a rather messy pan, which I have to clean before I start on the lentils.)