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My Black Bean Soup

List of Ingredients

I grew up with Navy beans; Dick's mother often used garbanzos. We discovered pintos in Texas and red beans in Mississippi. They're all good--but the best bean I've found so far is the black one.

1-1 1/2 lbs. black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 meaty hambone
2-3 lg. onions, chopped
2 dried pods red pepper
2 T. vinegar
1 lb. sausage (Andouille is authentic; Polish does nicely), sliced thin and then cut in half.
sour cream
chopped green onions
grated sharp cheese (optional)
cooked rice




Recipe


Soak black beans, rinsed and picked through for grit, over night in water to cover.

Place hambone, beans, and water to cover in a large pot. Bring to boil. Simmer 1-2 hours. Add more water, if necessary. Add pepper pods.

Saute onions and garlic in a little oil--I do it in the microwave. Cook until VERY soft. Add to soup. Simmer another hour or so. Remove bone and peppers. Strip bone and return meat to soup. Add salt and pepper.

To thicken, remove about 2 cups beans. Mash and return to pot. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Add vinegar.

Add sausage. Simmer 10-20 mins. until sausage is cooked. (I often precook sausage in microwave--about 5 mins. on high--and then drain on paper towels. This way requires only a few minutes heating time in the soup.)

To serve: Place 1/2 cup cooked rice in soup bowl. Cover with soup. Top with chopped onions and sour cream (and cheese, if desired).

Note: If you want to do a pureed soup, the simplest way is to use a handheld blender. Immerse bottom end into soup and blend. That little appliance is one of a cook's best friends.