Splendid Table Cuban Black Bean Stew

1 or 2 meaty smoked ham hocks
Extra virgin olive oil
3 whole cloves
2 med to large onions, cut into a 1/2 ich dice
1 small to med green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small to med red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp kosher salt
28 to 32 oz chicken stock
6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves, broken
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground oregano
3/4 to 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS tomato paste
3 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 limes or about 1/2 cup vinegar (sherry, wine, cider or palm)

Trim meat away from ham hock cutting into small pieces (I tend to put the hocks in whole and cut the meat off when the soup's done). Film the bottom of a stock pot with olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in the bones and meat, cloves, onions, bell peppers and salt. Sauté for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the veggies are sizzling and there's a brown glaze at the bottom of the pot.
Add a little of the broth plus the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, black pepper , and tomato paste. Scrape up the glaze as you simmer for 3 minutes. Add the beans and the rest of the broth. Adjust heat so that the soup bubbles gently. Cover and cook 20 minutes.

Add the juice from 2 1/2 limes (or the vinegar). Tast e and adjust seasoning.

Serve with garnishes: chopped onion, coriander leaves, hot sauce. This can be served over rice, in the Cuban style.

Makes 8 to 10 1-cup servings. Nutrition info based on 9 cups.

Number of Servings: 9

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CEEJAYTEE.