Spicy Black beans with sausage

[JJ Judkins]

Spicy Black beans with sausage
Serves 8

1 pound dry black beans
5-6 cups broth or water
1 bay leaf
5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups diced onion
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 links smoked, spicy sausage, preferably andouille, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin, ground
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon white or black pepper

1. Fill a medium-sized pot with cold water and bring it to a boil. Dump in
the beans, boil 2 minutes and cover tightly. Remove from heat and allow to
sit, undisturbed, for 2 hours.

2. Drain beans and return to the pan. Add broth or water to cover and bring
to a simmer. Add bay leaf, 2 smashed or sliced cloves of garlic and half of
the onions and celery. Cover and cook for about 1 hour.

3. Add carrots to the bean pot. While beans continue to cook, saute sausage
over medium heat. When it begins to render oil, add the other half of the
onion and celery. Cook until onions are tender and the mix is nicely
caramelized. Dump contents of the pan into the beans and stir.

4. Return saute pan to the stove and add bell pepper, diced garlic and
carrot. Cook until the pepper begins to soften. Add chili powder, cumin,
cayenne and white or black pepper. Saute about 1 minute more, then pour
about 1/2 cup of the bean broth into the saute pan to deglaze. Dump the
peppers and liquid into the pot with the beans.

5. Cover the pot of beans and continue to cook just until the beans are
tender; at least 30 minutes longer. When the beans are nearly tender, add
salt to taste and continue to simmer gently until everything is tender. Add
more broth as needed.

Note: To use a slow-cooker, presoak and drain beans; then add both raw and
sauteed ingredients to the pot. Turn slow cooker on high heat for 3 to 4
hours; on low heat for 8 or more hours.

- Recipe from Virginia Chitwood

Per serving: 330 calories, 17 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 12 g total fat,
3.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 1,020 mg sodium, 10 g fiber.
Calories from fat: 110.