Spicy Black Bean Soup with Limed-Up Shrimp

• 5 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 palmfuls
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped
• 16 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied (see Note)
• 2 14-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
• Hot sauce, to taste

1. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, twice around the pan.
2. Add the onions, three fourths of the garlic, the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions are tender, stirring frequently.
4. While the onions are cooking, in a shallow dish combine the remaining garlic, the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO, the red pepper flakes, lime zest, parsley, and a little salt.
5. Add the shrimp and coat them thoroughly in the mixture.
6. Let the shrimp sit while you move forward with the spicy black bean soup.
7. Add the black beans to the skillet with the onions.
8. With a potato masher or the back of a rubber spatula, smash the equivalent of half of the beansthe mashed-up beans will thicken the soup.
9. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, and heavy cream (if using) to the pot, stir, and turn the heat up a bit to bring the soup up to a bubble.
10. Once at a bubble, turn the heat back down to a simmer and let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
11. Give the pot a stir every now and then to ensure that it is not sticking.
12. While the soup is simmering, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
13. Once it is hot add the shrimp and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side.
14. Flip the shrimp, add the lime juice, and continue to cook them for 2 to 3 more minutes or until the shrimp are opaque.
15. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
16. To serve it, place a few ladles full of the spicy black bean soup in shallow soup bowls, and arrange 4 shrimp standing up in the center of each bowl.

evoo, onion, garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, red pepper, limes, parsley, jumbo shrimp, black beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, heavy cream, sauce

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-black-bean-soup-with-limed-up-shrimp-374671 (may not work)