Sherried Black Bean Soup with Shrimp

• 1/2 pound dried black beans, soaked overnight in water and drained
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon chopped mint

1. Cover six 4-inch skewers with water and soak for 2 hours.
2. Put the beans in a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans until tender, about 2 hours; add water as needed to keep the beans submerged.
4. Pour off all but 2 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.
6. Add the onion, garlic and green pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes.
7. Add the cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
8. Scrape the vegetables into the saucepan of beans and add the cream, sherry, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro.
9. Working in batches, puree the beans in a blender until very smooth.
10. Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper; keep warm.
11. Light a grill.
12. In a small bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of cilantro and the mint.
13. Thread 1 shrimp onto each skewer and season with salt and pepper.
14. Grill the shrimp over a hot fire until curled and lightly charred, about 1 minute per side.
15. Pour the soup into tall shot glasses and garnish each glass with a grilled shrimp skewer.

black beans, extravirgin olive oil, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, ground cumin, oregano, heavy cream, sherry, sherry vinegar, cilantro, salt, shrimp, mint

Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sherried-black-bean-soup-shrimp (may not work)