Aaron’s Amazing Simple Beans

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 quarts water
• 1 Moroccan-style preserved lemon, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small red chile pepper, halved lengthwise
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon anise seed

Directions

Place kidney beans into a large container and cover with about 1 quart water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain.

Combine beans, 1 quart water, preserved lemon, sugar, black pepper, red chile pepper, bay leaf, garlic powder, and anise seed in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover stockpot, and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove lemon, bay leaf, and red chile pepper from bean mixture. Mash about 10 of the beans against the sides of the stockpot using the back of a spoon. Cover stockpot and simmer for 45 minutes more.

Remove cover from stockpot and simmer beans until beans are thickened and water is evaporated, about 15 minutes more.