Mexican Cooking ~ Black Bean Soup

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Black Bean Soup / Sopa De Frijoles Negroes

 

Recipe By : Meatless Mexican Home Cooking ~ Nancy Zaslavsky

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Mexican Beans

Soups Vegetarian

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 Pound black beans

1 white onion -- peeled and halved

4 epazote sprigs -- or 2 rounded

tablespoons dried, or 1 small bunch of

cilantro, tied

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 jalapeno or serrano chiles -- stemmed and chopped

1 Large white onion -- chopped

6 Cloves garlic -- chopped

1 Tablespoon cumin seed

1 tomato chopped

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

8 grinds of black pepper

4 limes -- quartered

1 1/2 Cups Crema * -- creme fraiche, or

sour cream

 

Pick through the beans for pebbles, then rinse.

 

Put the beans in a pot with 10 cups of water. Add the halved onion and epazote

or cilantro and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

 

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the chiles with the chopped onion, garlic,

and cumin seed until golden brown. Add the tomato and continue to cook for 3

minutes.

 

Remove the onion and herbs from the beans and discard. Add the sauteed onion

mixture to the beans. If you especially like the flavor of epazote of cilantro,

add additional chopped leaves or 1 tablespoon of dried and bring the beans to a

boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Squeeze the

juice of 1 lime into the soup and taste for seasoning. To serve, spoon a dollop

of crema stop each bowl of soup. Serve with plenty of lime wedges.

 

Variation: Black bean soup may be served as a puree. cool the soup to warm,

then, in batches, pour it into a blender or processor and puree. If you'd like,

blend the crema with the beans. reheat to a simmer.

 

* Crema recipe entered separately

 

 

 

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NOTES : The soup must retain its black color. This happens only when the beans

are slow-simmered for a very long time. Soaking and precooking only drains away

color and you end up with gray beans. Mexicans never soak beans before cooking,

anyway. Yield 8 servings