Gus' favorite food

Spinach for Popeye, Black beans for Gus. To each their own. Gus first tasted this Puerto Rican recipe for "Frijoles Negros" at the lakehouse of Heather's mother. He ate every single bean I offered him, so I asked her for the recipe, thinking he might like to have it again - and again - and again - actually, we all like this one and it's so easy and only gets better as it sits in the fridge. Careful, this may be addictive...but the good news is that beans are high in fiber, lower colestrol and are generally considered a good source of protein, so dig in.

You need:
1 lb of dry black beans
8 cups of water
3 teaspoons of olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 onions, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
3 Tablespoons of dry wine (replace with vinegar, if desired)
1 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar

This is what you do:
Soak the beans overnight in the water. Bring beans to a boil and cook covered over medium heat for 45 minutes. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add one cup of cooked beans to the skillet and mash it with the onions and garlic, return it to the rest of the beans. Add everything but vinegar and wine and cook over medium heat for another hour. Add wine and vinegar and cook over low heat for another hour. Uncover and let sauce thicken for 10 minutes.

Enjoy (and keep a wetted rag handy).