Instructions: Pick through the beans for pebbles, then rinse.

Put the beans in a pot with 10 cups of water. Add the halved onion and epazote or cilantro and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the chiles with the chopped onion, garlic, and cumin seed until golden brown. Add the tomato and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Remove the onion and herbs from the beans and discard. Add the sauteed onion mixture to the beans. If you especially like the flavor of epazote of cilantro, add additional chopped leaves or 1 tablespoon of dried and bring the beans to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into the soup and taste for seasoning. To serve, spoon a dollop of crema stop each bowl of soup. Serve with plenty of lime wedges.

Variation: Black bean soup may be served as a puree. cool the soup to warm, then, in batches, pour it into a blender or processor and puree. If youd like, blend the crema with the beans. reheat to a simmer.

* Crema recipe entered separately

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.