Black Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. black beans
2 qt. cold water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium size onions, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can tomato sauce
sour cream (optional)

Preparation

Soak beans overnight in cold water.
I usually don't have things planned that far in advance, so I pre-cook the beans in cold water.
Bring to a boil approximately 20 minutes.
Drain. Heat oil in stock pot and saute onions, celery, garlic, carrots, cumin, oregano and basil until tender.
Add water, beans and tomato sauce.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook approximately 2 hours.
Serve with French bread and a dollop of sour cream can be put in the middle of each serving.