Mom's Famous Black Bean Soup

My mom has perfected this recipe over the years, and because I always monkey with perfection, I made a couple of minor changes. This recipe has ruined me for Black Bean Soup at restaurants, its that good.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 med. sweet onion, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp dreid oregano
4 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans (I like Goya exclusively), rinsed and drained
3 C water and 2 vegetable boullion cubes
1/4 C dry sherry (NOT cooking sherry)
cooked brown rice for serving.
optional for garnish:
chopped shallots
chopped hard boiled eggs
shredded cheddar
sliced jalepeno
sour cream

Saute onions, celery, cumin and oregano in olive oil for 8 min, until translucent. Add garlic, saute another 1-2 min. Add black beans, water and boullion, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30 min. Add dry sherry and simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with desired items and a small bit more of dry sherry. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.