Boiling the beans (see notes): Soak beans overnight, or for a couple of hours at least (this will reduce the time it takes to boil them). Once soaked, remove them from the water. Place in a large pot, and add half a gallon of water [2 liters] and a bay leaf (this is optional). Boil over medium-low heat until the beans are tender enough that they turn to mush if pressed between your thumb and finger. Add water if it becomes necessary to prevent it from drying out or burning.Once boiled, remove bay leaf and discard.

Separate the cooked beans from the cooking liquid in which they boiled (using a sieve) if you boiled them at home. We'll need 6 cups, so complete with tap water if you don't have enough.If you are using canned beans, and are watching your sodium intake, you could choose to discard the water in the can and use tap water when the recipe calls for water later on.Set beans and water aside

In a pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the longaniza slices and cook stirring until they brown. If they release more fat than you'd like in your food, remove some of it at this point.Stir in oregano, bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook and stir for half a minute. Add the beans and cook stirring for two minutes.

Pour in 6 cups of water. Lower heat to medium-low and cover.Once the preparation reaches a gentle simmer, lightly mash the beans with a potato masher to break them out of the skin a little bit and make creamier beans. Don't overdo it; we still want some whole beans at the end.Simmer until it reaches a creamy consistency. Stir in the sugar and pepper and season with salt to taste if you find it necessary. Remove the chunks of onion, if any are left. and stir in the cilantro.

Remove from the heat and serve per suggestions above the recipe.