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1
Combine the beans and their soaking water with the two crushed garlic cloves, the halved yellow onion and the bay leaf.
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2
Bring to a boil.
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3
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer one hour.
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4
Add salt to taste, and continue to simmer until tender but intact, about 30 minutes.
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5
Remove from the heat.
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6
Discard the onion halves, garlic cloves and bay leaf, and carefully drain the beans through a colander or strainer set over a bowl.
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7
Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half across the equator.
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8
Set a strainer over a bowl, and squeeze out the seeds from the tomatoes into the strainer.
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9
Rub the gelatinous seed sacs against the strainer to extract the juice, and discard the seeds.
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10
Grate the tomatoes against the large holes of a box grater set in a wide bowl, and discard the skins.
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11
Add the juice from the strained seeds to the grated tomatoes, and stir together.
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12
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the onion.
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13
Cook, stirring often, until very soft but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
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14
Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
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15
Stir in the sugar, half the tomatoes and half the herbs.
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16
Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has cooked down to a fragrant sauce, about 15 minutes.
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17
Stir in the beans, 1/2 cup of broth and the remaining tomatoes.
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18
Cover and simmer for another 25 minutes, stirring often.
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19
Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining herbs and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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20
Cover and allow to cool.
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21
Stir in the lemon juice if desired, and serve with lemon wedges.
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22
If the beans seem dry, add more of the bean broth to taste.
