CUBAN BLACK BEAN STEW
- 1 or 2 meaty smoked ham hocks (about 1½ pounds)
- Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 medium to large onions, chopped into ½- inch dice
- 1 small to medium green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 small to medium red bell pepper, cut into
- ½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 14-ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth
- 6 large garlic cloves, coarse chopped
- 3 bay leaves, broken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 3 generous tablespoons tomato paste
- Three 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 limes, halved or about ½ cup sherry, wine, cider, or palm vinegar
- 1 cup chopped mild onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
- Hot sauce
Instructions:
It is a touchstone dish of the Caribbean.
- Trim the meat away from the ham hock bone, cutting it into small pieces. Don’t be too fussy; leaving some on the bone is fine. Film the bottom of a 10-quart stockpot with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the meat, bone, cloves, onions, bell peppers, and salt. Sauté for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are sizzling and there’s a brown glaze on the bottom of the pan (the vegetables need not brown, and take care not to let that glaze blacken).
- 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 heat for 3 minutes. Then add the beans and the remaining broth. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Cover the pot tightly, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the juice from 2½ limes or ⅓ cup of the vinegar. Taste the soup for seasoning. Adjust salt, pepper, and lime juice or vinegar to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, topping each serving with a heaping tablespoon of chopped onion and a little fresh coriander. Have the hot sauce on the table.