Black Beans - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup dried black beans
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium bay leaf
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Preparation

Place beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water.
Pick over the beans and remove any stones or foreign objects.
Place beans in a clean pot, cover with fresh cold water, and soak for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight to expedite the cooking process.
Drain the beans.
In a large stainless steel pot, combine the beans, 1 quart water, and all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
When the water reaches a boil, skim the surface, reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
Drain the liquid from the beans and reserve for use in other recipes.
Discard the bay leaf.