Most cooks know that roasting spices is a great way to coax out their full, robust flavors. Great idea in theory, but on a weeknight when I am trying to get dinner on the table and help with homework, not gonna happen. So McCormick recently introduced a line of pre-roasted spices, that takes the well meaning step out of the recipe for nights just like this. Look for ground and roasted cumin, cinnamon, ginger and coriander, part of their Gourmet Collection of spices. I combed the Culinary Thymes archives and found a great recipe for trying out these new spices. This black bean soup is full of flavor and great for dinner now that the weather is getting cooler. Enjoy! -alyce eyster
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Author: culinarythymes.com
Recipe Type: soup
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Serves: 8
Photo: McCormick
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried black beans
- 4 Tblsp olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tblsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 orange, sliced in half
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 6 cups chicken broth
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- for garnish: sour cream, thinly sliced green onions, cilantro
Instructions
- Pick throught the beans for any stones or debris. Place in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by several inches. Soak overnight. Drain and set aside.
- In a large sacuepan or soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano and bay leaves and stir to combine. Add the beans, orange, ham hock and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 1 to 1.5 hours until the beans are tender.
- Remove the orange, bay leaves and ham hock and puree about ⅓ of the soup in a blender or using a hand-held immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the sour cream, green onions and cilantro.
