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Thirteen-Bean Soup

Source of Recipe

From "In Pursuit of Flavor," by Edna Lewis


Recipe Introduction

"It seems that there are often thirteen different kinds of beans in a packaged mix of dried beans. I add a cup of black beans, which may bring the number of beans used up to fourteen, but it really does not matter. You could make this same soup with six kinds of beans, or three kinds, or eight. I think it is the pork that makes the soup so flavorful. Further south than Virginia, which is my home, pork is cured in salt and nitrites and then dried. In Virginia and Kentucky, where it gets colder, the pork is smoked. The pork we use has a streak of lean, too, while in the Deep South it generally does not. For this recipe, you can use smoked bacon or another kind of smoked pork, or, if necessary, streak-of-lean in brine. I would not use fatback; it has no lean."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ cup black beans
â—¦ 2 cups mixed beans
â—¦ 1 pound smoked pork shoulder or streak-of-lean
â—¦ 1 medium onion
â—¦ 3 quarts cold water
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ Salt to taste
â—¦ 1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
â—¦ ½ cup olive oil
â—¦ ¼ cup good sherry


Recipe

Wash the beans and pick them over, casting out any stones or bad beans.

Put the pork, onion, and beans in a large pot. Add the cold water, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a lively simmer. Turn down the heat and keep the soup at a low simmer for 2 ½ hours. Remove the beans from the heat when done and let them cool. Reserve the liquid.

When the beans are lukewarm, season them with salt and more pepper, if needed. Add the tomatoes and olive oil and blend the mixture briefly in a blender until just smooth, but not liquefied. Add the liquid to the puréed beans, and taste for seasoning. You may not need all the liquid. Stir in the sherry and reheat until hot.

Serves 4