black bean soup

This soup is very easy to make although you need some time. Together with a salad and some bread (or tortilla chips!) it makes a meal by itself. This recipe makes for about 1.5l of soup, which should feed at least four people, or just you on four occasions. You will need:

• 250 g dried black (turtle) beans
• 2 l water
• 1 big onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• one or two tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and cubed (or, if you're lazy, from a can of peeled tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili peppers
• some oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• cilantro to taste
• sour cream

When the beans are almost soft, get out a frying pan, put it on the fire and pour in a bit of olive oil (the original recipe calls for lard, but olive oil is easier to obtain, better for your health, and suitable for vegetarians). Fry the cumin seeds until they start to smell and pop, then add chili pepper, onion and garlic and fry until they are soft. Finally add the tomato and oregano and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the mixture to the beans and cook until the beans are completely soft. Then puree the soup. Add the chopped cilantro and salt to taste.

When serving, add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl of soup.

three-day cuban black bean soup:

• One package of dried black beans (16 oz)
• one pork shoulder (~1.5 lb?)
• one large yellow onion (small dice)
• garlic (I use about a half a bulb, or 7-8 cloves, but then, I really like garlic)
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• red chile (if you can't get it fresh or frozen in puree form, use powder)
• barbeque sauce
• honey or maple syrup
• 2 cubes chicken boullion
• spices (see below for suggestions)
• shredded cheddar cheese