Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb black beans
• 1 sausage ring
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 1/2 cups onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• black pepper, to taste
• cooked rice
• sour cream

Directions

1. 1

   Soak beans overnight, drain and pick out stones. Rinse.

2. 2

   Chop bacon, onion, garlic and jalapenos. In a big kettle, cook bacon, onion and garlic.

3. 3

   Add beans, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, cayenne, jalapeno and water to cover beans but not more than 1.5 inches above top of beans. Do not add sausage, corn or brown sugar yet. Add the water last as the hot grease will splatter. Keep an eye on the water level as the beans will burn if the water boils away.

4. 4

   Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook for two hours. Take out a cup of beans and mash with fork. Add mashed beans back inches The more you mash, the thicker it gets. Grill sausage ring. Add sausage, corn and brown sugar. Cook 10 more minutes to heat sausage and corn all the way through. Serve over rice.