---

Directions

  Prepare the vegetables:

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped

  Put the pressure cooker pot on medium heat and add the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the butter.

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon butter

  If using the bacon, add now and cook until the bacon starts to brown.

1 strip bacon chopped [optional]

  Chop the vegetables and add to the pan, cooking on medium heat until they are softened and well combined.

  Add the spices to the vegetable mixture, stirring well to combine.

2 teaspoon powdered cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt [2 tsp if omitting bacon]

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 whole bay leaf

  Add the black beans and the chicken stock to the pressure cooker pot and bring to a boil.

1 cup dry black beans, rinsed

5 cups chicken stock

  Lock the top on to the pressure cooker and cook for 19 minutes on medium heat.

  When the time is up, remove the pressure cooker from the heat and allow to cool down so that there is no remaining pressure built up in the pot. Check the pressure release valve to be sure! Remove the lid.

  Strain the beans and vegetables thru a coarse sieve, capturing the liquid in a sauce pan.

  Here's a trick I picked up from a recipe book somewhere: reduce the leftover liquid in the sauce pan to about 1/2 cup over medium-high heat. We'll add this to the beans later and it will do an amazing job of concentrating the flavors.

  Puree the beans and vegetables in a food processor so that the beans are smooth but with some texture remaining. Don't over-process.

  Add the reduced liquid from the sauce pan to the beans, and pulse a few times to combine with the beans. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

  Pour into a bowl and serve! The Muneta keeps well in the refridgerator. Just mix with a bit of water or chicken stock and microwave to reheat.

Kids!

With some supervision of the pressure cooker and food processor, the kids can take this one on by themselves.

Notes...

I always make this recipe using my pressure cooker so it's ready to eat 30 minutes after starting.