Guatemalan Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1-pound dried turtle beans
• 10 cups water
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 onion medium
• Toppings:
  • 6 tbsp sour cream or Mexican crema
  • 6 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
  • 6 tbsp Queso de Zacapa or Mexican cotija or feta crumbled
  • Lime
  • Avocado

Directions

1. Rinse the beans well. You don’t need to soak them overnight.
2. Simmer the beans with the garlic, onions and salt in water until tender but not mushy (about ½ hours)
3. Remove the garlic cloves from the soup, reserving one clove. Puree half of the beans with the one clove of reserved garlic in a blender (or use an immersion blender) and add back into the pot.
4. Add more water if needed to reach desired consistency of soup.
5. Reheat until warm
6. Top each bowl with swirl of crema, the chopped cilantro and sprinkle of cotija (or feta) cheese.
7. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime and slices of avocado.