Cuban Black Bean Soup Uncle Bills Version Recipes

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, cover the beans with water, covering them by 2 inches. Add bay leaf, cumin, oregano, and Italian pepper. Simmer until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, remove the pepper.
• In a saute pan, saute onions, red, and green peppers until translucent. Puree in a blender, this is the sofrito.
• In the same pan, saute the garlic. Add to the beans, along with the sofrito, 1/4-cup olive oil, sugar, and vinegar. Season with salt and continue to cook until very thick, about 45 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped red onion.

Steps:

• Remove any debris from the beans, then rinse and soak them overnight in cold water, refrigerated. Drain any remaining water after the soaking, before adding the beans to the soup pot.
• In a large soup pot with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil. Add the ham hock to the oil and begin to brown. Add the onions, peppers, celery, chili, and cumin, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables wilt. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring to make sure you don't burn the tomato or garlic. Add the water and bring to a boil.
• Add the cleaned and soaked black beans, return to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the ham hock from the pot, let cool enough to handle, then strip the meat from the bone. Chop the meat coarsely and add back to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sherry and cook 2 minutes more. Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions or chives.

Steps:

• Rinse red and brown lentils in cold water.
• In a medium size saucepan, add lentils and 2 cups of water and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• In a medium size cooking pot, add cooked lentils including liquid, black beans including liquid, broth, chicken soup base, cubed potatoes, celery root and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, to a medium size frying pan, add butter, olive oil, chopped garlic and onions and saute' until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion mixture to soup pot.
• Add soy sauce, black pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, crushed oregano, 4 cups water and bring to boil.
• Add more water if soup is too thick.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove about 1/3 of the soup into a bowl.
• Using an electric blender, blend and return to soup pot.
• Add Sambal Oelek and instant mashed potatoes; stir well to blend.
• Bring soup just to boil.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve soup hot.
• NOTE: You can use dried black beans instead of canned.
• You will require 2 cups of dried beans, soak overnight in water.
• Next day, drain and rinse.
• Canned lentils may also be used instead of dried, Will require 1 (19 fluid ounce) can, include liquid.

Steps:

• Combine beans and water and let soak overnight.
• Next day, add chile peppers (or 1/2 red pepper), 2 cloves of garlic to the beans. Cut an onion in half, "pin" the bay leaf to one half with the clove, add onion halves to beans.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover loosely and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until beans are tender.
• Chop remaining onion, mince remaining garlic.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onions, garlic, chopped peppers, celery and bacon to skillet. Cook for 4 minutes until soft, but not brown.
• Stir veggie/bacon mixture into beans. Add wine, vinegar, cumin and oregano.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover, reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes until beans are soft.
• Remove bay leaf, halved onions and whole garlic cloves.
• Blend 2 cups of soup in blender, return to soup.
• Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and vinegar, to taste.
• Serve topped with sour cream and scallion tops.
• (Preparation time does NOT include overnight soaking).

Steps:

• Rinse beans and remove any particles or bad beans; place in a saucepan and cover with 2 inches water. Add celery and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat, adding more water as necessary, for 10 minutes. Drain beans and remove and discard celery.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and carrot; saute until onions are fairly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chile flakes; continue to cook until heated through and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Place tomatoes and water in a slow cooker. Add onion mixture, beans, and bay leaves.
• Cook until beans are tender enough that you can easily smash one between your tongue and the top of your mouth, on Low for 6 hours or High for 4 hours. Add vinegar. Taste to adjust seasonings and add hot pepper sauce.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, saute the celery, onion, garlic and jalapeno in oil until onion is tender. Stir in the beans, broth, water, seasonings and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Cool slightly., In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan; heat through. Garnish each serving with tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro.