Cuban Pureed Bean Soup

As a lifelong on-again off-again vegetarian, I have grown quite fond of beans. They are more of a staple in our household than, say, hamburgers. When I went to college, what I missed most about my mom's cooking (don't we all miss mom's cooking when we go off to college?) wasn't some fancy dish she made, but good old refried beans. So it's a letdown to look in Fannie Farmer and see so very few bean recipes.

My mom grew heirloom Jacob's Cattle Beans this year, and they are soooo good. So last weekend, we were trying to find some recipes to use them in. This recipe was, of course, from Pinterest rather than Fannie Farmer. I've had Cuban bean soup and stew before in several forms, but my mom really wanted a recipe that used pureed beans. Sadly, even Pinterest didn't yield much when I searched for pureed bean soup. But, we found this one for black beans soup, and we had most of the ingredients, so we made due and made changes when necessary.

Here is our adaptation:

• 1-2 c. water or stock
• 3 c. cooked or canned dried beans (about 2 cans, or precooked). We used Jacob's Cattle Beans, but black beans would be good as well, as the original recipe uses.
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 large onions, chopped  
• 3 carrots, chopped 
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 c. dry sherry (I didn't have this, so I used cooking wine)
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes:
chopped red onion
chopped red bell pepper
sour cream
Or anything else...would have used cilantro if we had it.
 
Instructions: 

1.  Heat oil in large skillet.
2. Add onions, peppers, carrots, cumin and cook 5-7 mins, stirring frequently.
3. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. 
4. Add sherry or cooking wine and cook until vegetables are tender.
5. Add beans, water or stock, salt & pepper, then remove from heat and puree in a food processor or blender. If you like it a bit chunky, pulse or blend for only a few seconds, checking until it's at desired consistency. 
6. Return to pan and reheat, if desired.
7. Serve in bowls with preferred garnishes.

While it was quite good, I think I'd find another recipe next time, as it wasn't very exciting to me. I've liked other uses for the beans more, and other pureed bean soups better.