Beautiful Pot of Beans

Spread beans on a tray and pick out and discard any small stones or sticks.

Transfer beans to a strainer and rinse briefly.

Place beans in a large bowl, cover with a few inches of cold water and soak 8 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, you can use the quick-soak method: Place sorted, rinsed beans in a large pot, cover with a few inches of cold water and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover pot and soak beans 1 hour; proceed as below.)

Drain beans, rinse briefly and transfer them to a large pot.

Stick clove into onion half and add to pot along with 3 quarts water and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Drain and cool; discard onion and bay leaves.

Watch our video featuring this recipe.