Rinse ’em good.

Pick out the weird ones — sometimes there’s a little stone or a split bean.

Now, pour water over till it’s a few inches higher.

Let ’em sit overnight.

If you forget (I forget a lot), quick fix:

Boil for two minutes, turn off heat, cover, let sit for an hour.

Boom — good enough.

Heat your pot on medium heat.

Add oil, then onion, carrot, celery.

Stir a bit — five minutes maybe — till they start softening.

Throw in garlic near the end.

Don’t burn it, please — burnt garlic ruins everything.

Just thirty seconds — you’ll smell it.

Right about then, the kitchen starts smellin’ cozy.

Drain soaked beans, dump ’em in.

Add broth — cover the beans well, a couple inches above.

Toss in bay leaf, salt, pepper, paprika, herbs.

Got meat? Add it now.

Ham bone, bacon, sausage — whatever you got hangin’ around.

Stir, bring it to a boil, then turn it way down.

Low and slow from here on.

Now’s the quiet part.

Put the lid on halfway and just let it go.

It takes like 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours.

Check every now and then.

If it’s too thick, add a bit more broth.

If too soupy, take the lid off for a bit.

When beans get soft and creamy inside — you’re done.

Taste one; if it squishes easy, perfect.

Don’t rush. Beans know when you’re impatient.

They’ll fight back.

Turn off the stove.

Fish out that bay leaf (and ham bone if you used one).

Now taste the broth.

Add more salt if you need. Maybe a splash of lemon juice — trust me, it wakes it up.

Sometimes I drizzle olive oil on top when I serve it. Sometimes I don’t.

Either way it’s good.

Grab a bowl, a spoon. That’s dinner.

Cornbread on the side if you’ve got it. If not — toast works fine.