2 to 3 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans (1 cup
dry)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 or more cloves garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 quart tomatoes
1 or 2 grated carrots
freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 cup cashews (roasted)
1 handful raisins or 1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup (or more) red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
Soak beans overnight, boil separately. In a large
pot stir fry onions,
green peppers, celery, and garlic. Add spices
and herbs and stir fry them
as well - be careful not to burn the spices (frying
the spices now instead of
adding them later makes a BIG difference in the
taste). Break up the
tomatoes and add them, along with any juice,
to the frying vegetables.
Add carrots, cooked beans, ground pepper, bay
leaf, raisins,
and salt. Add the the nuts about 10 minutes before
serving so that they
retain more of their texture. Simmer (covered)
until it's done. Add the
vinegar a little at a time, tasting between additions,
just before serving.