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Monday, March 15, 2010

Smoky Black Bean Soup

Smoky Black Bean Soup

I'm getting smarter - I've learned to set the picture up before I put the sour cream in top - because once the cream hits the hot soup, you have about a nanosecond to take the picture before a dollop becomes an octopus.


I also picked up a couple of new soup bowls for a change of pace - the one in the photo was $3.99 at IKEA. The quality is decent, and the price was right!


This was also an easy soup to make - to speed up the process, I brought the beans and cold water to a boil, then turned off the heat and let them sit covered for an hour. This is a good method if you don't have time for an over night soak.





The soup gets its smoky flavor from the hamhock. The usual suspects - leeks, carrots, onions and celery are browned, then the ham hock, beans thyme and bay leaves are cooked with chicken broth and water (about 6 cups of liquid)- simmering for about 2 1/2 hours. Make sure the beans are always covered in liquid during the simmering process. I used a highly seasoned broth made from the carcus of a chicken I had roasted. (This is a great way to get the most out of whole roast chicken. Roast the bird, carve it, and then cover the carcus with water and boil it. It is not the long process you have when you start with raw parts - but it also only makes about four cups of broth.)

Once the beans are tender, add in crushed tomatoes and hot sauce to taste (I used a chipotle hot sauce for a little Tex Mex dimension). Cook for another 15 minutes, adjust salt, add more hot sauce? and throw half of it in the blender. Add it back in the pot, taste it again and serve. Personally, I like a bit of sour cream on top, and a bit of cilantro adds color and compliments the chipotle hot sauce. Oh, and a ice cold bottle of Yeungling beer!

1 comment:

  1. Smoky Black Bean Soup
    Serves 4 to 6
    1 lb. dried black beans, picked over
    3 Tbs olive oil
    1 small onion, cutinto 1/4 inch dice
    2 leeks (white and green parts) chopped and rinsed well
    2 med ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
    1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 inch dice
    1 large ham hock rinsed
    3 cups homemade or lower sodium chicken stock
    2 large bay leaves
    3 large sprigs fresh thyme
    Kosher salt
    1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
    5 to 6 drops hot sauce
    2 Tbs olive oil, to finish (optional)
    Sour cream for garnish (optional)


    Put the beans in a large pot, cover them with cold water, and bring to a hard boil. Take the pot off the heat, cover the pan, and let the beans soak for at least an hour. When its time to cook the soup, drain and rinse the beans.

    In a dutch oven, or a large heavy based soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, and add the onions, leeks, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft, and beginning to brown lightly, about 10 minutes.

    Add the beans, ham hock, chicken broth, 3 cups water, bay leaves, thyme and 1 tsp salt to the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the beans are very soft, 2 to 2 1/2 hours (taste a few to be sure of their texture; if the level of the liquid drops below the beans during cooking, add a little more broth or water). Remove the ham hock, bay leaves and thyme and add the tomatoes and their juices and the hot sauce. Cook for another 15 minutes or so to blend the flavors.
    Meanwhile, if you like, pick the meat off the ham hock, mince it and add it to the soup. Puree about half of the soup in a blender until very smooth and then stir it back into the rest of the soup. taste and adjust the salt and hot sauce. To give the soup a more satiny texture, you can stir in the additional 2 Tbs of olive oil. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream if you like.

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