INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry beans

1/4 cup olive oil

2 bay leaf

1/2 onion

Couple cloves of garlic

Any veggie scraps you have (parsley stalks, celery, carrot, sage, etc).

Splash of vinegar

Salt

RECIPE

Soak the beans overnight. Honestly, don't listen to people that say soaking beans isn't important. It is and will make your beans better. They won't burst.

Add beans to a large pot and cover with water by a few inches. Add bay leaf, onion, garlic, veg scraps, a tbs of salt, and 1/4 c oil. Salt and fat are the most important things about cooking beans. The liquid needs to be salty. Taste it. Everything else doesn't matter as much. Don't have onions? It's fine. No bay leaf? Sad - but okay!

Bring to boil and then gently simmer for half an hour. Test. Small beans take less time. Cook til tender.

Add a little vinegar toward the end. Taste again. Salt accordingly. Let the beans relax in the liquid for a while once they're done. This makes them hold together. Add a little more oil, a tiny bit of liquid, and serve. Always store beans in their own liquid. They're comfy that way.