Black Bean Soup Sopa Negra

blACk beAn soup is nourishing and very filling so it is often served as a side dish or part of a meal that includes rice. Remove the seeds from the chile pepper if you don't want too much heat. You can also leave out the chile and serve the soup with a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

Black Beans 2 cups, soaked overnight

Water 8 cups Vegetable Oil 1 Tbs Onion 1 small, chopped

Garlic 3 cloves, chopped

Cayenne or Jalapeño Chile Pepper 1, chopped

Celery 2 stalks, roughly chopped

Cilantro Stems a small handful, chopped

Red Bell Pepper

½ , roughly chopped

Bay Leaf 1

Salt 2 tsp, or to taste

Hard Boiled Eggs 3–6, for serving

Cilantro Leaves

for garnish

1 HEAT the oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-based saucepan. Sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic, chile pepper, celery, cilantro stalks and bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.

2 ADD the beans, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are soft and the broth has thickened,

1–2 hours (or more depending on the age of the beans).

3 LADLE into bowls and top with hard boiled eggs.

4 NOTE: If you have a pressure cooker, there is no need to soak the beans. Cook the dry beans in the water on high pressure for 16 minutes. Add to the pot with the sautéed vegetables and simmer until the beans are soft and the broth has thickened, about 30 minutes.