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Black Bean Soup

The Best Recipe Soups & Stews
The Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine
The good people at Cook's Illustrated Magazine tested their way through hundreds of recipes for soups and stews to bring you their best from amongst the pack, loaded with tips and tricks. One example: for the best vegetable stock, "Use four kinds of alliums (onions, shallots, leeks and garlic) and sauté the vegetables until they are lightly caramelized before adding any water." $49.50.

Serves 4

This soup is best made a day ahead of serving so that the flavors can meld. It will hold for three days in the refrigerator. Although the ham hock will probably hold just a tablespoon or two of meat, it's worth taking the time to remove this meat and add it back to the soup. For a different effect, garnish the soup with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, diced seed tomatoes, and minced jalapeño chile. Cornbread (page 328) is an excellent accompaniment to either version. For a meatier soup, make the variation with bacon that follows.

Beans

1 pound (2 1/4 cups) dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
1 smoked ham hock (about 2/3 pound), rinsed
1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Sofrito

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin

Finishing the soup

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 small red onion, minced
Hot red pepper sauce (optional)

1. For the beans: Place the beans, ham hock, green pepper, and 13 cups water in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low and skim the surface as scum rises. Stir in the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt and bring back to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the beans are tender but not splitting (taste several as they cook unevenly), about 2 hours. Remove the ham hock from the pot. When cool enough to handle, remove and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bone, skin, and fat. Stir the meat back into the pot of beans.

2. For the sofrito: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper, and salt, and sauté until the vegetables soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and cumin and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute longer.

3. To finish the soup: Scoop 1 1/2 cup beans and 2 cups cooking liquid into the pan with the sofrito. Mash the beans with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, until the liquid is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Return the sofrito mixture to the bean pot. Simmer, uncovered, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

4. Blend the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water together in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the soup and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. (Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring the soup to a simmer over low heat.) To serve, remove and discard the green pepper and bay leaves. Stir in the lime juice and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream, a generous sprinkling of cilantro, and some red onion. Serve immediately, passing hot red pepper sauce at the table if desired.