Sherried Black Bean Soup With Shrimp

This is a Cuban soup I came across in Food and Wine magazine. I can't wait to try it.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight in water and drained
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1  medium onion, minced
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 green bell pepper, minced
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 2  teaspoons sherry wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  chopped cilantro
• 1  teaspoon  chopped cilantro
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 6  medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1  teaspoon  chopped mint

Directions

1. Cover six 4" skewers with water and soak for 2 hours.
2. Put the beans in a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover by 2" and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans until tender, about 2 hours; add water as needed to keep beans subnmerged. Pour off all but 2 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape the vegetables into the saucepan of beans and add the cream, sherry, vinegar and 1 tablespoons of the cilantro. Working in batches, puree the beans in a blender until very smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper; keep warm.
5. Light a grill. In a small bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 teaspoons of cilantro and the mint. THread 1 shrimp onto each skewer and season with salt and pepper. Grill the shrimp over a hot fire until curled and lightly charred, about 1 minute per side. Pour the soup into tall shot glasses and garnish each glass with a grilled shrimp.
6. The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently.