Cuban Black Bean Soup

This recipe is one I tried for the first time on Wednesday. It came from the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Cooking Light and everybody liked it. (The baby even helped me polish off the leftovers for lunch yesterday). I made it just how they printed it with the following exceptions:

• I omitted the ham (I didn't even tell the family it was supposed to have ham)
• I only used a quarter of one jalapeño (we're just not that hot)
• I couldn't find "pumkinseed kernals" (but I may order some off the internet for next time)
• After the soup was completed I let it simmer for a couple hours longer in order to get rid of some of the watery soup base and make it thicker like in the picture.
• Oh, and if you don't grow oregano (my herb garden is planned for this spring/summer!) I wouldn't use it in the soup. I usually buy it because I love fresh herbs, but it is quite pricey and unless you've got a palate like the judges on Iron Chef (who are pretty ridiculous if you ask me), it won't make that big of a difference.
  

Here it is!

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Chef Douglas Rodriguez of DeLaCosta restaurant in Chicago was born in America, but this recipe is inspired by his mother's black bean soup, which offered robust flavor for people who didn't have money to spnd on meat for stock. Here we use both fresh and dried oregano because each imparts a different flavor to the final dish.

2 bay leaves
1 lb dried black beans (2 1/3 C)
12 1/2 C water, divided
1 T canola oil
3 1/2 C chopped green bell pepper (about 3 med)
2 1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
1/3 C chopped shallots (about 2 small)
1 T ground cumin
2 T dried oregano
2 T chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 T sugar
2 t kosher salt
2 C diced peeled avocado
2 T fresh lime juice
2 C thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 C chopped smoked, fully cooked ham
1 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 C light sour cream
10 t unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted
1/3 C finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (about 2 med)
lime wedges (optional)

1. Place bay leaves and beans in a Dutch oven. Add 12 C water to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hrs or until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over med heat. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, and shallots to pan; cook 10 min or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and fresh oregano; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 10 min.
3. Add vegetable mixture, sugar, and salt to beans; simmer 10 min, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Ladle 3/4 C bean mixture into each of 10 bowls; top each serving with about 3 T avocado mixture, about 3 T red onion, 2 T ham, about 1 1/2 T cilantro, about 1 1/2 T sour cream, 1 t pumpkinseed kernels, and about 1/2 t jalapeño pepper. Serve with lime wedges, if desired. Yield: 10 servings.

Notes from Cooking Light:
Cuban cooking reflects the influence of Spain and Africa as well as other Caribbean islands. Spicy heat is not as pronounced in Cuban cuisine as in some other Latin fare. In keeping with this tradition, Cuban Black Bean Soup is a balance of earthy flavors from the black beans and cumin, pungent sofrito (onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and oregano), and citrus. Finally, Cubans don't usually soak the beans for soup before cooking; they simply cook the beans longer and relish the deep flavor of the cooking liquid.