Date:    Fri, 02 Jul 93 12:56:08 PDT
From:    therese@garnet.berkeley.edu

Adapted from the local newspaper (The San Francisco Chronicle)

Spicy Black Bean Spread

1 cup uncooked black beans
1 bay leaf
1 small red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and pick over beans.  Soak overnight, then discard soaking water.  Place
beans in a kettle with water to cover and the bay leaf.  Simmer until very
tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (I just blasted them in my pressure cooker for 20
minutes!)

While beans are cooking, roast the peppers in the broiler or on a grill or
gas burner, until completely charred.  Place in a paper bad for 10 minutes
to steam, then remove the skins and seed the peppers.  For a spicier spread,
include some of the seeds from the jalapeno.

Combine all ingredients except stock and salt & pepper in a food processor
and puree to a thick paste.  Add enough stock to make it a spreadable 
consistency (I didn't add any, actually), and season with salt and pepper.

per tablespoon:  15 calories, 1 gm protein, 3 gm carbohydrate, 0 gm fat,
0 mg cholesterol, 1 gm fiber