Cuban Black Bean Soup

The beans in this recipe are soaked overnight in water to pre-soften.  Another method to pre-soften is on the stove and a lot faster.  Put beans in a pot, cover with water.  Bring to the boil and turn off heat.  Cover and let sit for an hour. You are now ready to use in the recipe.

1 # black beans
3/4 # thick cut bacon, diced
1 1/2 large green peppers, seeded and ribs removed, diced
5 C. Chicken stock
5 C. water
2/3 cup of good quality olive oil PLUS 2 teaspoons you’ll reserve for just before serving.
1 large yellow or white onion (diced or finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon good quality dry oregano
4-6 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 large bay leaf
Juice of one lime
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and finely chopped, reserved
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste


Pick beans for any possible small rocks or pieces of dirt that might have gotten into the package, wash them throughly and soak in the 5 cups of water with 1/2 of one of the green peppers overnight at room temperature.  Leave them covered on the counter.  If doing the faster method of softening, add pepper to pot before bring the beans to the boil.

The following morning, DO NOT DISCARD the water where the beans soaked overnight. By now beans will be swollen and the water will appear black.  Remove green pepper piece and dice, add back to beans.

Add stock to the pot and simmer beans on stovetop at medium heat until they become soft (about 1 hour).  Meanwhile, in a pan heat the olive oil and bacon.  Cook bacon until golden brown, remove and reserve in a bowl.  To the same pan, add onion and the rest of the green peppers and cook until translucent, soft and very fragrant, approximately 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the oregano, black fresh pepper and bay leave to this mixture.  This mixture is called a "sofrito" in Latin cooking.

Add approximately 1 cup of the tender cooked beans to the sofrito pan and mash well with the back of a large cooking spoon, until you achieve the consistency of a dark puree (this acts as a thickener for the soup and also brings out the wonderful earthy flavor of the black beans.)
Return the entire mixture and the cooked bacon to the simmering pot with the rest of the beans.   Add bay leaf, vinegar, lime juice, wine, a few pinches of salt and sugar.  Cover the pot and return to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.  If you like your soup thicker, cook longer.

Finish soup by mixing in the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the correct seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Portion soup into warm bowls and top with the fresh chopped cilantro.

In a traditional Cuban meal, this soup is eaten very thick over white rice and accompanied by other dishes of meat, poultry, fish, boiled or fried Cuban vegetables (plantains, yuca, squash, taro root, ñame, Cuban sweet potato, okra, and a salad)