Cuban Black Bean Stew

Name: Cuban Black Bean Stew
Ingredients: 2 pork hocks meaty smoked, about 1.5 lbs; EVOO; 3 whole cloves; 2 onions medium to large, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch dice; 1 sweet pepper small to medium green, cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1 sweet pepper small to medium red, cut into 1/2-inch dice; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 broth recipe Cheater's Homemade, or 2 14-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth; 6 large garlic cloves peeled and coarse chopped; 3 bay leaves broken; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 3 tomato paste generous tablespoons; 45 ounces black beans drained and rinsed; 3 limes halved, or about 1/2 cup sherry, wine, cider or palm vinegar

16 ingredients

7 steps

Ingredients

2 pork hocks meaty smoked, about 1.5 lbs
EVOO
3 whole cloves
2 onions medium to large, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch dice
1 sweet pepper small to medium green, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 sweet pepper small to medium red, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 broth recipe Cheater's Homemade, or 2 14-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
6 large garlic cloves peeled and coarse chopped
3 bay leaves broken
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 tomato paste generous tablespoons
45 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
3 limes halved, or about 1/2 cup sherry, wine, cider or palm vinegar

Directions

1

Trim the meat away from the pork hock bone, cutting it into small pieces. Don't be too fussy; leaving some on the bone is fine.
2

Film the bottom of a 10-quart stockpot with olive oil and heat over medium high.
3

Stir in the meat, bone, cloves, onions, peppers, and salt. Saute 8 minutes (stirring occasionally), or until the vegetables are sizzling and there's a brown glaze on the bottom of the pan (vegetables need not brown, and take care not to let that glaze blacken).
4

Add a little of the broth along with the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and tomato paste. With a wooden spatula, scrape up the glaze as you simmer the mix on medium high for 3 minutes.
5

Blend in the beans and the remaining broth. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Cover the pot tightly, and cook for 20 minutes.
6

Stir in the juice from 2-1/2 limes, or 1/3 cup of vinegar. Taste soup for seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper, and add more lime or vinegar to your own taste.
7

Ladle the soup into bowls, topping each serving with a heaping tablespoon of chopped onion and a little fresh coriander. Have hot sauce on the table. For Cuban style, you could ladle the stew over rice.