slow cooked molasses black beans.

I'd like to introduce you to the humble black bean, sometimes called the turtle bean. All shiny and lovely! These are the dried version, here is the canned (and drained) version:

This bean dish is so far my most favourite dish that I've ever made. It's so sweet and spiced and beany and makes the house smell great and lets you pretend to be a cowboy cooking beans out on the range. I made it and ate it with a parsnip and carrot mash, but you don't even need that. It'd suffice just as a bowl of beany loveliness with a big chunk of bread to mop up the juices.

To make enough for 3-4 people, you'll need:

1 red onion

glug of olive oil

3 cans of black beans

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 heaped tsp of dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp molasses

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

Grab a big pot and a wooden spoon.

Chop the onion and put it in the pan with the olive oil over a medium heat until softened.

Add the tomatoes, ketchup, and chili flakes and heat until it's slightly bubbling.

Add the beans, water and sugar at this point and turn the heat right down, you just want a constant heat through it but no boiling or the beans will disintegrate.

Stir and keep at this heat for about 45 minutes. You can just leave it to do it's thing as long as you check on it regularly and stir to loosen the bottom bit.

While I was making it, it was cold outside and my kitchen got all steamed up and gorgeous.

After 45 minutes or so it should look a bit like this: Thick and smooth and YUM. Now you add the vinegar and molasses and stir through thoroughly.

Taste it as you add each thing so you can fine tune it to your tastes, increase the chili if it's not hot enough for you, more vinegar if it's too sweet, more molasses if it's not sweet enough.

Honestly no need for the mash, trust me. Just chuck a huge mound of beans into a bowl, grab some bread and chow down.