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1
Heat olive oil in a saucepan.
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2
When hot, add the onion, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until tender.
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3
Add the garlic and cumin and saute for 10 seconds to release their aroma.
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4
Add the broth and water and bring to a simmer.
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5
While the liquid is coming to a simmer, with a knife separate the cilantro leaves from the stems.
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6
If you wish, wrap the stems well with string and add to the broth to infuse the liquid with more cilantro flavor.
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7
When the liquid is at a simmer, add the corn and beans and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes just to heat the ingredients well.
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8
Meanwhile chop the cilantro leaves you need anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped leaves.
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9
Add the cilantro leaves and immediately remove the soup from the heat.
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10
Discard the cilantro stems.
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11
Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
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12
Ladle the soup out and garnish each portion with sour cream and garnish the sour cream with pimento.
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13
Variation: to turn this into a main course soup, add 12 ounces of strips of raw chicken when you add the beans and corn.
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14
Or add 12 ounces chopped cleaned shrimp after you have added the beans and corn and cook for 2 minutes to cook through.
