A POT OF BEANS

is something I now think of as essential to have around most of the time. It's easy to prepare, easy to keep for a couple of days in the fridge, and makes a tasty and nutritious side dish to supplement an otherwise light meal or the basis for something more substantial, or a quick snack all by itself.

The basic idea is as follows: take a cup and a half of dried beans (I used pinto beans today) and either soak them in 6 cups of water for at least 4 hours (better 6 or 8). If you don't have time to do that, bring beans and water to a boil, boil hard for one minute, then cover and leave for 1 hour. (The fast and slow soaking methods are equally good, so I rarely bother with the slow one any more).

Drain the beans and put them back in the pan with enough water to cover by a couple of inches. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 8 to 10 minutes, then add half a chopped onion, a couple of sliced cloves of garlic, a bay leaf or two, some chopped parsley if you have it -- and if you want some heat, either a chopped serrano pepper or a dried hot red pepper or (my favorite) a dried chipotle chile. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the beans are beginning to soften, then add 1 tsp. salt and continue to simmer until the beans are cooked. Remove whole dried pepper and bay leaf. The beans will taste delicious right now, and even better after a few hours or next day.

There are many possible variations. Use dried or fresh sage with cannelini or navy beans, oregano or epazote with black or red beans, stir in a couple of chopped or grated tomatoes when you add the salt, use chopped celery instead of or in addition to the onion.