Black Bean Soup

I think soup gets a bad rap. When you think of fancy food, you usually don't think soup. Maybe it's because it's so easy to make; you just throw everything in a pot, let it cook, and you have a meal in a bowl. I bet people in the middle ages made soup a lot; just throw whatever junk you have in a pot, and it becomes edible.

Most places I eat, soup is reduced to a line on the menu. You've got French onion, which is rarely done right, and soup of the day, usually whatever leftovers they want to get rid of.

But soup doesn't have to be watery and bland! This bean-based soup was filling, full of flavors, and nice to look at! Plus is was soooo easy, the only "work" was cooking the bacon and chopping the onion and cilantro. I found it on the Food Network site; I didn't know who Dave Lieberman was, but over 250 ratings couldn't be bad. You can find it here, but I'm copying it for posterity.

Black Bean Soup

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

I used turkey bacon, cause I like the flavor. I only needed one onion. I also got whole canned tomatoes and chopped them into big pieces. I loved the taste of cilantro in this. And if you're anything like me, you'll add sour cream and lots of cheddar cheese.

That's a Saranac Big Moose Ale, which is great. I had it from their 12 Beers of Winter sampler.

Oh yeah, and I fried a plantain and had it with vanilla chip ice cream for dessert. Yum.

Don't forget to click for bigger pictures...silly Blogger.