Name: Black Bean Soup (Sopa de Frijoles Negros)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped; 1 red bell pepper, cored and coarsely chopped; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela (see Note); 8 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound dried black turtle beans, picked through and rinsed; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 bay leaves; 1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (see Note); ½ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 cubanella or green bell pepper, cored and coarsely chopped (see Note); 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

La Comida del Barrio

By Aarón Sánchez

Published 2003

About

Every region of Latin America has it’s own version of black bean soup, some simmered with ham hock, some with chorizo. I favor this one in particular because it is completely vegetarian. Black bean soup can be garnished with almost anything from red onions to queso. My former employer Fernando Saralegui, who is of Cuban descent, told me his family would garnish their version with sugar and balsamic vinegar. I like to top mine with my favorite “go-to” herb, cilantro.