Soak the beans. You can do this overnight simply by covering with water, or you can cover them with boiling water and soak for one hour. In either case, cover by at least 1", because they expand a lot!

When your soaked beans are big and plump, drain and rinse them. Place in an even larger cooking pot, cover them with at least an inch of fresh water, add your bay leaves, and place over medium heat. NEW COOKS: soaking and draining beans makes them cook faster, but it also removes some of the sugars responsible for their gassy side effects. Beans are VERY healthy, and if you eat them regularly your body will adapt to digesting them and they'll have less of that effect. If you rarely eat beans, start with a small side serving and try to eat them at least a few times a week. Beans are REALLY healthy!

Fresh, whole spices add a lot to cooking. If you have a grinder, toast whole cumin in a dry pan. You should smell it and hear it crackle a little, but don't let it burn. Roast whole ancho chiles (these are poblano chiles that have been allowed to ripen before drying) in a 375 degree oven until they begin to puff, then cool and and grind them in with your cumin. You can find whole chiles and cumin at Hispanic markets for very good prices.

Alternatively buy the best pre-ground spices you can afford, and use them before they get dull. The smell should really hit you whenever you open a spice jar.

Measure all of your spices into a small bowl, and set them aside. These proportions are approximate -- if you ground your own cumin and have a bit extra, that's fine. If your chile powder is extra-hot, use less. NEW COOKS: "chile powder" is pure ground chiles (like when you ground your anchos, above), while "chili powder" refers to ground chiles mixed with other ground spices (like when you mixed your ground chiles with the cumin). Most commercial chili powders contain salt. If you use chili powder, reduce salt in the next step.

Dice your onions and saute them in oil with the salt until they wilt and start to look translucent, but DO NOT let them brown. I use olive oil for this step, but you can use any fat and the most traditional is lard. Add the spices and saute briefly until you can smell them blooming (i.e. when the aroma really starts to kick).

Pour the onions and the rest of your BASE ingredients into the beans. Make sure they have enough liquid not to stick, stir a few times with a flat spoon, and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Scorching is the main enemy to watch for, so stir periodically and add water as necessary.

Always taste as you cook. You will likely want more salt than I call for in the ingredients. Starting with less salt is a habit you'll want to get into, because it's easy to add salt and dang hard to remove! I usually wind up using about 2tsp salt total, but if you'll eat this with cheese later, leave it on the low-sodium side -- cheese adds a lot of salt. Your chili powder might be mild or hot, and your tastes will vary, too. If it's not hot enough, you can always boost it later with more chili, cayenne, or a neutral hot sauce like Louisiana-style. Feel free to experiment! You can add more garlic, more cumin, or even the tail end of that bottle of salsa you want to get out of your fridge (remember that when you add commercial spice blends -- including salsa -- you're usually adding salt). This is a wonderfully flexible recipe. Cook the beans at least ten minutes between adjustments, and remember: you can always add things but you can't take seasoning out, so go easy and keep tasting.

How long to cook the beans depends on what you want to use them for. You can stop cooking as soon as you have soft but distinct beans in liquid, and they'll be great for stuffing burritos, serving over rice, as a soup base, or even in salads.

You can also continue cooking until they begin to "moosh" and you'll get a thick, creamy chili that you can eat in a bowl, on top of rice, or any place where you'd usually use refried beans (Rosarita in a can is fine, but these are SO MUCH tastier).

When the beans reach your desired texture, add the lime juice and, for Cuban-style beans, fresh orange juice (traditionally this would be sour orange, so adjust the orange and lime quantities to taste). Enjoy your delicious black beans!

The most common way to mess up this recipe is by scorching your beans onto the pot. You can avoid this by stirring often (helps you keep an eye on them), and adding a little water if they get thick. You can also do the long simmer in a crockpot -- it'll take longer, but require less supervision. (Don't forget to taste and adjust though!) If it DOES scorch, don't bother scraping off the burnt beans. Just transfer the unstuck parts to a new pan, and carry on. This is a robust dish. A bit of smoky flavor won't hurt it.

The other common issue is too much salt or heat when you're done. Salt will concentrate as the liquid cooks away, and chilis will become spicier as they rehydrate, so I've started you out with fairly modest quantities. If you prefer low-sodium foods, or very mild dishes, feel free to start with half the quantities listed, and taste as you go. If your dish comes out salty, serve it over unseasoned potatoes or rice. If it's too spicy, stir in some sour cream or cheese to soak up the heat.