1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red chilies, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup dry black beans
4 cups water
12 Cumin Pork Meatballs
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, chilies, onion and garlic, sautéing until tender.
2. Stir in the cumin, then the beans. Top off with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered until beans are tender, about 1 hour.
3. Place meatballs into the soup and continue to simmer until fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with lime juice and a pinch of cilantro to serve.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound ground pork
3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

1. Combine pork, scallions, cumin, paprika, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
2. Divide meat mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into balls.
3. Fry meatballs in an ovenproof skillet, then transfer to a 350 degree oven to finish, or simmer in the broth of Mexican Black Bean Soup.

Makes 4 servings

When I made the Lentil Soup for Shannon, I asked her if it was something that she could eat variations of on a daily basis. Since dried beans are so cheap, filling and nutritious, I figured we could live off of them in one form or another for the first month here without much problem. Since she agreed, this was my second attempt at a bean soup to test that. The Mexican Black Bean Soup was less than a dollar to make and filled us up for dinner with leftovers for lunch.

I made a Cumin Pork Meatball that was similar to the Albondigas I had made before, without realizing that albondigas were actually supposed to be a component of soup. Well, they are most certainly delicious in soup. The leftovers from this soup don't look so pleasant, but with a splash of lime juice to top off the flavor, it definitely tastes better than it looks. It's sort of like a spicy chili. Shannon loved it and I could eat it for weeks, so that's really all I could hope for. The only drawback from tonight's dinner is that my camera seems to be focusing on the top of pictures now, leaving the foreground blurry. I don't know if that is my doing or what, but it's really annoying.