[Spirit Dancer]

Black Bean Soup with Mojo
it's a little work after it's cooked, but well worth it.


2 cups (1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
4 country-style blade pork ribs (about 2 pounds)
8 cups water
1/4 cup dark rum
1 head garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally to expose the cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Mojo:
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Put black beans, pork ribs, water, rum, garlic head halves, onion, salt, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and crushed red pepper in a slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW until the beans are tender and the meat is falling off the rib bones, about 8 hours.

Remove the ribs from the soup. Using a handheld immersion blender, partially puree the soup until it is creamy but still has some texture from whole beans. (Or puree half the soup in a blender and stir it back into the slow cooker.) Pull the meat from the rib bones, shredding it into large pieces, and stir it into the soup.

Mojo: Put the garlic and olive oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on HIGH until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and salt and set aside until ready to serve.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with some mojo