Black Beans and Sausage (Feijoada)

I cook with beans often enough, but to be honest I don't have much variety with what I do with my beans. They all kind of end up some version of latin flavors and usually end up in a tortilla, so this recipe caught my eye because of the orange. Although still latin, it definitely has a different flavor and it went over well with the adults and the kids.

I found the recipe in one of my cookbooks, "How to Cook Everything," by Mark Bittman (a very nice cookbook to have around). He says it is a liberal adaptation of Brazilian feijoada, which I'm not familiar with, but contains things like tongue and pig's feet. His version has friendlier types of meat, but after making his version I would adapt it even more. So here is my version, by now perhaps it doesn't even resemble the original dish, but we enjoyed it. By the way, this is a giant recipe. He says eight servings, I say at least 10 or 12.

3 1/2 c dried black beans (or 8 c drained cooked beans)
2 c bean cooking liquid, or broth
1 T cumin
salt and pepper
1 orange
1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, preferably red or yellow, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
1 1/2 c orange juice, divided
cilantro, minced

Put the beans in a large pot with plenty of water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until soft. Drain, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid if using. Return the beans and cooking liquid to the pot over warm heat. Add cumin, salt and pepper. Zest the orange and add to the beans, then peel and dice the orange, set aside. Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned on all sides. Add to the beans. Add the onions and peppers to the skillet and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add to beans. Turn the heat under the skillet to high and add 1 cup of the orange juice. Cook, stirring and scraping to deglaze the pan for about 5 minutes. Add to the beans with the remaining 1/2 cup of orange juice. Garnish with cilantro and chopped orange pieces. Serve with brown rice.