Black Bean Soup With Bacon Recipes

QUICK AND EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Place bacon in a cold pot. Turn heat to medium, cook and stir until the bacon is cooked but not crisp.
• Stir in onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and golden.
• Stir in garlic; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, turn heat to medium-high. Stir in oregano, cayenne and salt. Add black beans and water. Return to a simmer.
• Simmer on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. While it's cooking, mash about half the beans to thicken the soup.
• Stir in black pepper and cumin. Add salt to taste.
• Make the relish by stirring together minced green onion, sambal paste, and lime juice.
• Serve garnished with relish, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• This soup is preferably made at least one day in advance.
• Slice off and reserve the rind of the bacon. Cut the bacon into quarter-inch cubes. There should be about one and one-half cups.
• Put the bacon cubes and the rind into a heavy kettle or casserole and cook, stirring often, until rendered of fat. When ready, the bacon cubes should be well-browned and crisp.
• Add the onions, celery, carrots, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, three tablespoons of the cumin, black pepper and oregano. Stir to blend and cover the kettle or casserole closely. Cook about five minutes over moderately low heat. Do not allow the mixture to burn.
• Add the tomato paste and stir briefly. Add the chicken broth and bring to the boil.
• Rinse and drain the beans and add them to the soup. Cook, uncovered, over relatively high heat about two and one-half hours, skimming the surface occasionally to remove foam, scum and fat as it rises to the top. The soup is ready when the beans are soft and some of them have disintegrated because of the cooking heat and stirring.
• Stir in the lime juice, cayenne pepper, salt, cilantro and remaining cumin. Remove and discard the bacon rind and bay leaf.
• Ladle the soup into individual soup bowls. Serve the salsa and sour cream on the side, to be added at will. This soup is best served with jalapeno corn-bread muffins as an accompaniment.

BLACK BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Saute onions, celery, carrots, peppers and garlic in bacon drippings in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until crisp-tender.
• Stir in beans, broth and cayenne. Simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally.
• Pour soup into food processor or blender container; cover. Process until pureed. (I use an immersion blender, so I puree right in the saucepan.) Return soup to saucepan.
• Stir in bacon; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Garnish with green onions if desired.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Cover beans with cold water by 3 inches in a bowl and soak at room temperature at least 8 hours, or quick-soak (see cooks' note, below). Drain well in a colander.
• Cook bacon in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped bacon for topping, then return remaining bacon to pot and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chile, oregano, bay leaf, and thyme and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add beans, chicken broth, and white pepper and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf and stir in cilantro.
• Serve soup topped with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and reserved bacon.

BLACK BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Place beans in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover, and soak 12 hours, or overnight.
• Add 2 1/2 quarts water to the beans, or enough to fill pressure cooker about 2/3 full. Cover, and cook 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute the garlic and onion until tender. Stir in the tomato and carrot. Cook about 5 minutes, and mix in the bacon. Cook and stir until bacon is crisp and evenly browned.
• Mix the vegetable and bacon mixture into the pressure cooker with the black beans. Cover, and continue cooking approximately 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Garnish with parsley, and season with salt and pepper to serve.