Mexican Black Bean Soup

By jgroeneveld

Good thick style that you can control the thickness of. Also recipe calls for pork salt or ham bone- however- you can substitute pancetta which is meatier than pork salt which tends to be very very fatty. The pancetta gives it nice pieces of ham to enjoy in the soup.

Ingredients

• 1 pound black beans
• 1/2 pound pork salt or pancetta
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup wine vinegar
• 3 quarts of water

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the beans and pick out rocks. Place beans with all ingredients (except vinegar) in 3 quarts of water in heavy pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans "lose their shape". Puree. Add vinegar, if desired. Add more water or stock if too thick. Remove bones or bay leaf. Top with a spoonful of sour cream or a dusting of chili powder, Or, serve garnished with a sieved hard boiled egg, finely chopped green onions or a lemon slice.