Basic Black Beans

Ingredients

 * 14 oz dried black beans
 * 2 qt water
 * ⅛ tsp baking soda
 * ½ tsp ground oregano
 * 2 tsp ground cumin
 * 1 green pepper, quartered
 * ½ onion, finely chopped
 * 3 tbsp minced garlic
 * ¼ cup olive oil
 * 3 tbsp cider vinegar
 * ¼ cup sherry wine
 * salt, to taste

Directions

 * 1) Rinse beans and discard any stones.
 * 2) In a large pot, soak beans overnight in water with baking soda, oregano, cumin and green pepper.
 * 3) The next day, add onion, garlic, olive oil, cider vinegar, sherry and salt to the water and cook on medium-low heat for about 3 hours or until the beans are very tender and liquid is reduced and somewhat thickened.
 * 4) Make sure liquid in pot does not entirely boil away.
 * 5) To prevent beans from burning, add more water when necessary.