Sopa de Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Bean Soup)

Recipe:

1 lb black beans, dried (2 ½ cups)
¼ cup olive oil
1 big onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big carrot, chopped
1 big green pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 OZ or 411 g
8 cups of water (2 l)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh Oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry oregano)
¼ teaspoon crushed dry red chile pepper
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 slices of lime

Garnishes:
Fresh cilantro, parsley, lemon thyme or basil
Avocado slices
Cherry tomatoes halves
Lime slices
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Boiled eggs

Wash the beans well and soak them overnight, than drain the beans. In a large pot sauté onions, add garlic and carrot and sauté for a minute. Add diced pepper and tomatoes, water and all seasonings except fresh herbs. Bring the soup to boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered for 2 hours. At the end of a cooking time, the soup will start to thicken so make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot occasionally.

In a food processor puree 2 cups of solids from the soup. Return the puree to the soup, mix and boil for another couple of minutes. Add fresh herbs.
Serve the soup hot in bowls, garnished.
Serves 8 (or more)