Black Bean soup

prep time:: 20 min
total time:: 2 hr

Makes 12 servings

After a long search for the perfect black bean soup recipe, I gave up. None of them had the flavor I remember when my mom used to make it for us. She tells me “I don’t have the recipe Erin, it was on the bag of beans.” So this is my best attempt to make a recipe that matches the memory.

ingredients

1 lbs black beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
Water to soak the beans
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds (substitute ham or bacon)
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup dry sherry or dark rum
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
3 limes, juiced
Garnishes: Sour cream, minced scallion or red onion, grated cheese.

directions

1
Put the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 2-inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside for 1 hour. Drain, and reserve the beans.
2
In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and jalapenos until lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Add the halves of the garlic,bay leaves, Italian seasonings, cumin, the beans and hocks to the pot. Add the water and broth and bring to a full rolling boil. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, cook until beans and meat are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
3
Remove the garlic halves from the pot, squeezing them with tongs to get the cloves to fall back into the soup. Throw the remaining parts of the garlic away along with both bay leaves. Pull the pot off the heat and cool slightly. Remove the hocks from the soup, set aside to cool. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes and reserve. Puree the soup, with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Additional water can be added to desired consistency. Add the sherry and combine well. Return the soup to medium heat and simmer with the reserved meat. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Add the lime juice to the soup.
4
To serve, divide the soup among warmed bowls, stir in a teaspoon of sour cream into each bowl, and top with onions and cheese.

Source: Erin