Black Bean Soup

Can you believe this has been sitting in the drafts folder for five years? I really need to get better at finishing things, but at least I'm making progress now.

This was actually a really yummy recipe. It's not much different from my recipe, but it's always nice to have someone else do the cooking. We had it twice, once as is served over rice, and then another time pureed. Both variations are delicious.

Puree of Black Beans with Sherry

2 quarts cooked black beans (see recipe below)

Chicken broth

1/2 cup dry sherry (substitute apple juice if desired)

Garlic bread croutons

Puree beans in blender. Transfer to saucepan and add enough broth to give it the consistency of a cream soup. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add sherry. Serve with croutons.

Serves 4. 

690 calories per serving

In order to make the pureed soup above, you need to cook some regular bean soup. Here's that recipe. We also tried it again years later, to make the "cooked black beans" called for in this recipe. No matter how you serve it - as is, pureed, or as the base for cooking rice - it's delicious.

Black Bean Soup

1 pound dried black beans

2 quarts water

2 medium onions, chopped finely

1 bay leaf

2 green peppers, cut in strips

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon oregano

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

White rice, cooked

Chopped onions for garnish

Soak beans overnight in water in a large pot. The next day bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and green peppers in olive oil in a skillet until light golden. Add spices and herbs, then stir into beans. Cook slowly over low heat until beans are tender, at least one hour. Serve over rice, garnished with onions.

Serves 4.

665 calories per serving without the rice