BLACK BEAN SOUP

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

1 lb Black beans                     1 1/2 C  Onions, finely chopped
3/4 lb Smoked boneless ham             1 1/2 t  Olive oil
-hocks (or less)                    1 T  Garlic, finely minced
8 C  Water                               1 t  Ground cumin
Salt, to taste                      1 C  Tomatoes, peeled,
2 C  Beef or chicken broth                    -seeded and diced.
-(I prefer beef)                  1/4 C  Red wine vinegar
1 1/2 C  Green bell peppers,                 2 T  Coriander, finely
-finely chopped, seeded                  -chopped [optional]
-and cored                                Sherry, dry, to taste

Put the beans, ham hocks, water and salt in a kettle and bring to a boil.
Cover and let simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until beans are thoroughly
tender. Remove the ham hocks and set aside.

Drain the beans and reserve both them and the cooking liquid. There should
be about 6 cups of beans and about 4 cups of liquid. Add enough broth to
the liquid to make about 6 cups.

Put the beans in the container of a food processor or blender, and blend as
thoroughly as possible. Add a little of the liquid and continue blending.
Combine the pureed beans and remaining liquid in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a heavy kettle and add the peppers, onions, garlic and
cumin. Cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted. Add the tomatoes and
the vinegar. Let simmer about 15 minutes. Meanwhile cut up ham hocks.

Add the pureed bean mixture to the cooked tomato mixture. Add the chopped
ham and coriander. Serve in hot soup bowls with about a tablespoon or so of
sherry (if desired) in each serving.

NOTES:

* Soup with Black Beans and Ham Hocks — Here is a hearty soup for those
cold winter evenings. This is a rather messy soup to make, but well worth
the effort. Servings: Serves 8-12.

* I skip the sherry and add a spoon of sour cream or yogurt. If your
palate can handle them, try adding pickled jalapeno peppers.

: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 10 minutes preparation, 3 hours cooking.
: Precision: no need to measure.

: Gary Scott
: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
: garys@tekcbi.UUCP

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

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