Black Bean Dip

I adapted this from Steve Dowdney's recipe for "Pluff Mud". It is a tasty bean dip which also makes a good burrito filling and is good over rice. Do not pre-soak your beans. If you do this, they will already have absorbed a bunch of water and will not be able to absorb all the flavors from the spices and broth. Do not worry about the salt added at the beginning, it is an old wives' tale that beans will be tough if you add salt at the beginning. You want to add all the spices and seasonings at the start so the beans will absorb them.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1  lb dried black beans
• 1  quart  chicken stock
• 1  quart water
• 1  bay leaf
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cumin
• 4  teaspoons chili powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  cup  diced  white onion
• 1  jalapeno, minced
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup white vinegar
• 2  tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Sort the beans to make sure there are no small rocks, screws, etc. in them. And yes, I have personally found these things in dried beans before. Sort or hope you have good dental coverage.
2. Place the beans, chicken stock, water, bay leaf, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, pepper and salt in a stock pot. Bring to a boil and stir well. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 2 hours, checking and stirring often. The liquid should just cover the beans. If the beans look too dry, you can add more water, 1/2 cup at a time, until the beans are covered. You do not want it to be too soupy.
3. Stir the beans often, as they have a tendency to stick and burn to the bottom of the pot.
4. After 2 hours, taste a bean - it should be tender enough to eat. If it is not, keep cooking and checking every 10 minutes. Mine don't usually even take the whole 2 hours, though.
5. In a large skillet, saute the onion and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Set aside.
6. Remove the bay leaf from the beans and discard. Puree half of the beans - I use a stick blender to do this, but you could also use a food processor or a blender.
7. Combine the whole beans and the pureed beans, and stir in the sauteed vegetables, the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the mixture from sticking and burning.
8. Taste and add more salt if needed.
9. This freezes well.