Black Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 carrots, skinned and chopped diagonally
2 stalks celery, chopped diagonally
1 sweet pepper, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (or 8 fresh, steamed peeled and chopped)
2 (14 ounce) cans black beans
8 hot Italian sausages, peeled (about two pounds)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme, leaves removed
sea salt
black pepper
1 1/2 liters vegetable broth (I highly recommend the sodium reduced stuff!)
1 large vidalia onion, diced finely

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pot.
Add onions, garlic and skinned sliced sausages; saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add carrots and celery, saute 5 minutes.
Add peppers and tomatoes, saute 5 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf, saute 5 minutes.
Drain and puree one can of black beans, add other can with juice, and saute 5 minutes.
Add vegetable broth.
Lower temperature and simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
Tastes the better for longer cooking. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig on completion.