Recipe - The Best Black Bean Soup

1 pound Black beans; picked over,
rinsed, and soaked for 10
hours or longer in water to
cover by at least 4 inches
6 cup Beef broth
8 cup Water
1 cn Tomatoes with their juice;
chopped (28 to 32 ounces)
2 teaspoon Cumin
Salt to taste; (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
to taste

JALAPENO CREAM
2/3 cup Plain nonfat or lowfat
yogurt
1 Or 2 fresh jalapenos or
pickled jalapenos; seeded
and minced
3 tablespoon Minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Minced fresh cilantro;
(optional)
***GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)***;
(optional):
One half cup Chopped red onion
One half Avocado; peeled, seeded, and
chopped

SOUP:

Drain the beans and put them in a large, heavy pot. Add the broth and
water. Bring the beans to a boil, stirring them a few times, reduce the
heat, and simmer the beans in the uncovered pot for 1 hour.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the cumin, and continue simmering
the beans for 2 hours or until the beans are soft (check after 1 and 1 1/2
hours, since the timing depends on the dryness or age of the beans.)

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and let the mixture cool briefly.
Rinse out the pot. Then puree the mixture in batches in a blender or food
processor until the mixture is smooth, returning the puree to the pot as
you go.

Season the soup with the salt (if desired) and pepper, and bring the soup
to a simmer. If the soup is too thin, simmer it in the uncovered pot,
stirring it often, until the desired consistency is reached.

To prepare jalapeno cream, whisk together the yogurt, jalapenos, parsley,
and, if you are using it, cilantro. Serve a dollop of the jalapeno cream
atop Board: FOOD BB Topic: FOOD SOFTWARE Subject: ZMM SOUPS

To: ASXV66A James Kilgore Date: 9/5/94 From: ASXV66A James Kilgore Time:
12:05PM ET
Posted to MCRecipe Digest by "M. Hicks" nitro_ii@email.msn.com on Feb 5,
1998