Mrs. Marion Argo’s Black Bean Soup

By davidgoodman

Ingredients

• 1 lb. black beans
• 1 medium-size onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 ham bone or 1 cup small pieces of ham
• 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• cayenne pepper
• garlic salt
• dry sherry
• 1 c. cooked fluffy rice
• 6 tsp. coarsely grated onion

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the beans and soak overnight in water to cover. Drain and add two quarts cold water, chopped onion, celery and ham bone. Simmer until beans are very soft, three to four hours. Remove the bone and put the soup through a strainer. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard, cayenne and a dash of garlic salt. Simmer 30 minutes. Just before serving add four tablespoons of sherry to each quart of soup. Place one heaping tablespoon of fluffy rice in the center of each serving and top the rice with one teaspoon of coarsely grated onion.