Spanish Sausage And Black Bean Soup(Soaked Overnight)

• 1 lb. dried black beans, rinsed and sorted
• 1 lb. chonzo or other spicy garlic sausage
• 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1 large green pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 c. water
• 1/3 c. dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 lb. ham, finely chopped
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans chicken broth (undiluted)
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Soak beans in water to cover overnight. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until done. Drain sausage on paper towels and set aside. Reserve drippings in Dutch oven. Add ham, onions, carrots, green bell pepper, garlic, pepper, thyme, cumin and bay leaf to reserved drippings in Dutch oven; saute 5 minutes. Thinly slice reserved sausage. Add sausage, reserved beans, undiluted chicken broth and 7 cups water to Dutch oven, stirring well. Bring to a boil. Partially cover. Reduce heat and simmer 3 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sherry and parsley. Simmer over medium heat, partially covered, an additional 30 minutes. Enjoy it!

black beans, chonzo, carrots, green pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, water, sherry, olive oil, ham, onions, freshly ground pepper, ground cumin, chicken broth, parsley

Taken from www.cookbooks.com/Recipe-Details.aspx?id=51707 (may not work)