Red Kidney Bean Lobio

Sort through the dried red kidney beans, rinse them, cover with 1 L of cold water, and leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain the water, cover the beans with 1.5 L of fresh water, bring to a boil, and simmer covered over low heat for 75–90 minutes, until the beans are tender; reserve 200 ml of the cooking liquid.

Finely chop the onion and sauté in oil for 8–10 minutes until golden.

Chop the walnuts and crush the garlic; combine them with the khmeli-suneli, ground coriander, wine vinegar, and 100 ml of the reserved bean liquid.

Mash about half of the cooked beans right in the pot with a potato masher, return the rest of the beans, add the sautéed onion and the walnut mixture, and stir well.

Warm the lobio over low heat for 10–15 minutes, adding the remaining bean liquid as needed to reach a thick but moist consistency; season with salt.

Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped cilantro, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.