Cuban Black Bean Soup for a cozy mystery by Lucy Burdette
All the most authentic Cuban black bean soup recipes I came across shared two instructions: First, soak the beans in a pot the day before you plan to cook, along with an onion and a green pepper. Second, cook these vegetables along with the beans, and then puree them and add them back into the soup.I was dubious, but I followed these instructions and was very happy with the results.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans
- 2 onions, one halved, one diced
- 2 green peppers, one halved, one dices
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Cover the beans, the halved onion, and the halved pepper with water in a pot and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, simmer with the bay leaves until tender, up to an hour. Stir in salt.
- Make the sofrito:
- Sauté the diced onion, diced green pepper, jalapeños, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir this mixture into the beans.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Take the mushy onion and green pepper along with 2 cups of beans and process them in a blender until smooth.
- Add this back into the pot along with the beef stock.
- Stir in oregano, cumin, sugar, and red wine vinegar.
- Simmer at least another 30 minutes, though the dish can go longer.
- Serve with white rice, sour cream, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.