Meredith’s Cuban Black Bean & Stomp Shiraz Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (300g) dried black turtle beans
  1 ham hock (1kg)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large brown onion (200g), chopped finely
• 1 medium red capsicum (bell pepper) (200g), chopped finely
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 400g canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 litres (8 cups) water
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup Stomp Shiraz (reduced to ¼ cup)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 large tomato (220g), chopped finely
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander

Method

1. Soak beans: Place beans in a medium bowl, cover with cold water; stand overnight.
2. Pre-cook beans: Drain and rinse beans, place in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes; drain.
3. Preheat oven: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C.
4. Roast ham: Roast ham hock on an oven tray for 30 minutes.
5. Cook aromatics: Heat oil in a large frying pan; cook onion, capsicum, and garlic, stirring, until onion is soft. Add cumin and chilli; cook, stirring, until fragrant.
6. Slow cook: Combine beans, ham, onion mixture, undrained tomatoes, water, oregano, pepper, and the reduced Shiraz in a 4.5-litre slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low for 8 hours.
7. Finish and serve: Remove ham from cooker. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bone and shred coarsely; discard skin, fat, and bone. Blend or process 2 cups of the soup mixture until smooth. Return meat to cooker with pureed soup, stir in lime juice and fresh tomato; sprinkle with coriander. Season to taste. Enjoy with a glass of the remaining Stomp Shiraz.

Notes & Nutrition

• Prep + cook time: 8 hours 55 minutes (+ standing overnight)
• Freezing: Suitable to freeze at the end of step 6.
• Nutritional count per serving:
  • Fat: 18.1g total (2.9g saturated fat)
  • Energy: 1350kJ (323 kcal)
  • Carbohydrates: 9.6g
  • Protein: 24.7g
  • Fibre: 12.4g