Matthew's Black Bean Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 6 ounces ham, chopped (or up to 10 oz, from a smoked ham steak)
• 14 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 12 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup sherry wine (or substitute 1 C water plus 2 t sugar)
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1 (11 ounce) can corn, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
• 1 (4 ounce) canchopped green chilies
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot.
2. Add the chopped fresh vegetables except the garlic (onion, carrot, green and red bell peppers, and jalapeno).
3. Saute over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 10 - 12 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, the chopped ham, the cumin and the cayenne pepper and saute an additional 3 - 5 minutes, until garlic is softened and spices are toasted.
5. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and add in the black beans (for a thicker soup mash about 1 cup of the beans before adding).
6. Also add the corn, tomato, and green chiles.
7. Stir in the chicken stock, adding extra to cover if necessary.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the oregano.
9. Lower the heat and bring the soup to a low simmer.
10. Simmer the soup, partially covered for about 45 minutes, or until the desired consistency is reached (add more liquid if too much boils away).
11. Stir in one-third to one-half of the cilantro.Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as desired.
12. Reserve the rest of the cilantro for serving.
13. Serve with your choice of fixins: fresh chopped cilantro, hot flour tortillas, shredded Colby-jack cheese, chopped onion or scallion, hot sauce, and/or sour cream.

olive oil, onion, carrots, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, ham, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, oregano, sherry wine, worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, fresh cilantro, salt

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/matthews-black-bean-soup-397604 (may not work)