Ybor City Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

 * from the sneaky kitchen:
 * 8 cups water (or 7 if using 14 oz or 15 oz pkg of beans)
 * 1 lb black beans, dried (about 2 1/2 cups)
 * 2 ham hocks or 1 ham end or ham bone with some meat
 * 2 whole bay leaves
 * 2 med onions, coarsely chopped
 * 2 med green bell peppers, washed and cubed
 * 2 med carrots, scrubbed and scraped
 * 4 garlic cloves, mashed or chopped
 * 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
 * 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
 * 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
 * 1 tbsp olive oil
 * 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
 * 1 tsp salt or to taste

Directions
Pick over and rinse the beans. Cover with half the water and set aside to soak. Place the ham hocks or ham bone in a pressure cooker or in a covered saucepan if you don't have a pressure cooker. Add the rest of the water and the bay leaf. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, or in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until meat is nearly tender. Remove from heat. Take out the bay leaves. Skim off the fat, or run broth through a gravy separator. Return the broth to the pan. Add the beans with the water in which they were soaking. Add the onions, green pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic and black pepper. While it is coming to a boil, cut the carrots into 3" long pieces. Slit each one into quarters lengthwise to make skinny three-inch long strips. Add to beans. Cap and bring up to pressure. As soon as it is fully pressurized, turn very low and cook for 20 minutes. In a regular saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer until beans are tender. Remove the ham to a plate. Ladle about a third of the beans into a blender or food processor (a hand held blender works well too) with as little liquid and vegetables as possible. Process until creamy. Scrape bean puree back into the pan. Cut the ham from the bones; cut into pieces, including the skin, removing all visible fat. Return the meat to the beans, discarding the bones. Add salt, vinegar and olive oil. Stir to mix. Check seasonings. You may add more salt, black pepper, or even hot pepper sauce if a spicier soup is desired. For details, hints and serving suggestions, go to http://sneakykitchen.com/Recipes/black_bean_soup.htm