Black Bean Soup

Serves

Six to eight people.

Hardware

• 6 qt. soup pot

Ingredients

3	cups		dried black beans, soaked overnight (see note below)
1/4	cup		olive oil
2			medium onions, finely chopped
6 - 12	cloves		garlic, crushed or minced
1 1/2	tsp		oregano
1	Tblsp		cumin
1 1/2	tsp		crushed red pepper
1 1/2	qt		chicken or vegetable stock (strain off fat)
1			bay leaf
			salt

Procedure

1. Drain and rinse the beans and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onions; cook until the onions are soft but not brown.

3. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, and red pepper; cook on a high heat for 1 minute.

4. Add the beans and stir until the oil is absorbed.

5. Add the stock, bay leaf, and salt; bring to a simmer.

6. Lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 50 minutes, or until the beans are soft.

7. Remove the bay leaf (!) and blend 5 cups of the soup to a coarse puree; return puree to the pot, reheat the entire mixture, and season as needed.

Notes

Beans can also be quick-cooked instead of being soaked overnight. To do this, place the beans in water and bring to a boil; remove from the heat and let stand 1 hour; drain.

My kitchen scale says that three cups of dried black beans weigh just over 1.25 pounds; buy 1.5 pounds just to be safe.

Rating

Difficulty: Very easy.

Time: About 1 1/2 hours.

Precision: 1.

Source

I think this recipe was featured in the Boston Globe in 1988, and that they got it from the East Coast Grill (Cambridge, MA).