Cuban Black Bean Soup

By Addie

“My grandmother learned to make this authentic soup from her Cuban friend. Her grandkids call her "abuelita." ”

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Madeira or 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 10 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

Step 1

Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add beans. Cook for 10 minutes; drain well.


Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add celery, yellow onions and garlic. Cook, stirring continually, until tender, about 8 minutes.


Combine beans, celery mixture, broth, Madeira, bay leaves and black pepper in a large saucepot and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cover.


Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3 hours, adding water if needed to keep the beans covered.


Remove bay leaves. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon. Stir in remaining bacon. Ladle half the bean mixture into a blender. Process until pureed. Return to saucepot and mix well. Ladle into soup bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with green onions and reserved crumbled bacon.