I just made the best black bean soup ever

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I can’t believe that I’d be the one that managed to make the best black bean soup in history, but apparently I have. I set out this morning to cook something hardy and cheap for lunch. I ended up with a giant pot full of pure goodness.

I’ve just had two giant bowls, and as has SvenSO. It’s complex, hardy, spicy, earthy, a little bit tangy and a little bit spicy (but not overspiced like so many things I cook).

If you want the recipe…

First I friend up some garlic, onions and tomatos in olive oil in the bottom of my pressure cooker. Then I added a bunch of black beans and a bunch of vegetable broth. I seasoned it with salt and fresh black pepper, and spiced it with liberal amounts of cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper (my person holy triumvate of spices) and a few bay leaves. I sealed up the pressure cooker and let it do its thing until the beans were cooked.

In the meantimes, I sauted some more onions, garlic and tomatos along with carrots, yellow sqash and a red bell pepper. I spiced it with lots of salt, black pepper, some coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, a tiny bit of tyme, and a tiny tiny bit of cinnamon.

When the beans were cooked, I added maybe a fifth of a cup of vinigar (all I had was rice vinigar, but it didn’t tase wierd), a little over half a cup of sherry and a couple of cups of good fresh-squeezed orange juice. I let the whole thing boil down as I mashed about half the beans up with a spoon.

When the soup seemed thick enough, I added the veggies and let it all boil for a while. Then I served it with white rice.

Oh my god that was good. I feel like I’m about to burst. I can’t wait until I have company over so I can serve this to them.

2

It sounds terrific. I’m going to have to try your recipe.

I usually use lots of garlic, cumin and chipotles in my black bean soup. And some lemon juice for acidity.

3

Did you use fresh tomatoes or canned? If fresh, did you blanch and peel them?

4

I hate beans, but you managed to make this sound pretty good.

5

I used fresh tomatos. I didn’t blanch and peel them, but I should have (lazy me!)

6

This sounds great! BBS is the food of the Gods.

Have I been disposed as the Unheraled King of BB Soup? Tomorrow will be used following your recipe, ES.

The results will be posted. IF you best my soup I promise to share my Killer Posole Recipe…

7

I just tried this recipe, and I love it!!! Do you mind if I post it to another MB I frequent? (Giving you credit, of course)

8

Sounds great, I like to cook but I don’t have a pressure cooker.

Do I have to have one for this recipe? Could I just simmer in a large pot?

9

An Englishman visits a small diner in the States and orders the soup of the day. The waitress brings it too him and the Englishman looks at it and says, “Good lord! What is this?” The waitress answers, “It’s bean soup, sir.” The Englishman says, “I don’t care what it’s been. What is it now?”

10

Black beans are the food of the gods. I use them exclusively in my chili, and in a black bean/mango salsa. I’ll have to give this one a try.

11

Feel free to post this recipe wherever. The wonders of black beans should proliferate.

I’m not sure how to cook beans without a pressure cooker (I really am a somewhat novice cook) but I’m sure the recipe can be easily adapted to used whatever other bean cooking methods there are (I’m even known to use canned beans in my older, not-as-good bean soup recipe).

The closest I ever was to learning how to cook was spending a lot of time at my Brazillian boyfriend’s house in high school. So most of my cooking has a pretty unexpected Brazillian edge (black beans, lots of olive oil, frying onions as the beginning of any recipe). I can’t My home is home to black bean nachos, black bean chile and my special black bean two layer dip (the layers are black beans and black beans)

12

I’d have to say that you did not make the best black bean soup ever, although you sound close.

to make the best black bean soup ever, you’d have to use a couple of whole chipotles to give it kick instead of the cayenne

just a suggesition.

thanks for the recipe.

13

I think I could live on black bean soup, I love it so. I cheat, though, by mixing a bunch of salsa, a bunch of canned black beans, and a lot of onion and garlic…simmer for a bit, and tahdah! black bean soup!
I don’t have a pressure cooker, but there’s a good *…For *Dummies book availaable that hs a lot of good recipes and tips in it. (I know because I proofed it. :smiley: )
Sounds great, sven!

14

Your recipe sounds good enough to make me regret not having bought some freshly harvested black beans from “The Country Place” in Tracy. I was out there last week photographing my friend and his Arabian in their first horse show. I always stop by “The Country Place” because they are the only local grower I know of that has cranberry beans, crowder peas, purple hull beans and nearly a dozen other varieties.

even sven, it sounds like you didn’t soak the beans beforehand. Was this the case?

enipla, you can make the recipe with an ordinary pot. Cook the beans at a low simmer in very well salted water until they have just lost their crunch. Then add the spices for another half hour (or so) of cooking time.

15

At last…back with the results. As you know from my previous posting, I said that I would try your recipe…and I did.

To start off, my wife gives your soup an “A”, which is fantastically high, as she is a tough sell. I liked it very much also. So much so that I gave some to my friends…OK, it was not only delicious, but I made 5 quarts. No messing around with teensy little pots for me.

As I don’t have a pressure cooker, I used a regular Dutch Oven, and I guessed at the amounts, which left me with only about 1/3rd beans. I would call this black bean vegetable soup…but that is my fault, as I should have really thought out the proportions better. Still…Mmmmm good!!!

Here’s my version of Posole…a hominy based pork stew or soup, except that I use chicken.

  1. Put 2-3 lbs of chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high until the chicken is ready to fall off the bones. Debone and return to slow cooker, along with the juices.

  2. In minimal butter, saute one large onion and one red bell pepper and two large cloves of garlic. Add to chicken.

  3. Now add hominy (from can)…in whatever portion you want. I go for about twice as much hominy as chicken. Pour in a can of chicken broth.

  4. Stir and then taste. Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper or paprika to taste…or to your potential diners tastes. Oregano and cumin may be added if you like the taste of these. Add a cup of white wine. I usually open a bottle of Chardonney for this part.

  5. Go away and read the message boards for a while. Enjoy a glass of white wine while you let things settle in and blend in the slow cooker. Go back ever so often and taste. Add spices as needed. When you feel like it, declare everything done and serve in bowls.

Note: you may want to add various sausages or veggies (I like little cubes of yellow squash and green onions sprinkled on top)

Enjoy!