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Coach House Black Bean Soup

Source of Recipe


Adapted from "Colorado Cache Cookbook"






List of Ingredients



• 1 pound black beans
  
• 2½ quarts water
  
• 5 strips bacon, cut in small pieces
  
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
  
• 2 medium onions, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp flour
  
• 2 smoked ham hocks
  
• 3 sprigs parsley
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
  
• 2 carrots, diced
  
• 2 parsnips, chopped
  
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• ¾ cup Madeira (or dry sherry)
  
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
  






Instructions



1. Wash beans, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain and wash again. Place them in a large pot with the 2½ quarts water. Cover and simmer 90 minutes.
   
   
2. In another large, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add celery and onion, and cook until onions are tender and transparent. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add ham hocks, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, carrots, parsnips, pepper, salt and beans (with their cooking liquid). Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours. Add more water, if necessary, to keep mixture very loose.
   
   
3. Remove soup from heat and remove ham hocks. Ladle half of the soup into a blender and purée. Remove any meat from the ham hocks, chop fine, and return to soup, along with the blended soup, Madeira wine, and chopped eggs. (Soup may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
   
   Makes 8 servings.