Black Bean Soup with Salsa Cream

By Peggie

Ingredients

• For the Salsa Cream:
• 2 cups (14oz/440g) dried black beans
• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 jalapeño chilles, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp dried organo
• 8 cups (64 fl oz/2 L) water
• 1/2 small ham hock or ham bone
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (plus 6-8 sprigs)
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup (4oz/125g) sour cream
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp purchased fresh salsa
• salt and pepper to taste

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Pick over the beans, discarding any stones or misshapen beans, and rinse well. In a large pot, combine the beans with cold water to cover by 3 inches. Soak for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Alternatively, for a quick-soak method, bring the beans and water to a rapid simmer (but do not boil), then simmer for 2 minutes. Remove for the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the beans and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chile to taste, garlic, bell pepper, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Sauté stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened and the mixture is very aromatic, 7-10 minutes.

Add the beans, water and ham hock, cover partially, and simmer over midiim heat until the beans are soft, 1 -1 1/2 hours. Remove from the heat and discard the ham hock.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches, leaving some texture, and return the soup to the pot. Alternatively, process with a handheld blender in the pot until the desired consistency is reached. Add the lime juice, minced cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, thin it with water. (if you prefer velvety consistency, puree the soup until smooth, then pout it through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan). Reheat gently over medium heat.

Just before serving make the salsa cream. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, salsa and salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each bowl with the salsa cream and a cilantro sprig.

Makes 8 servings.