Black Bean Soups (Cooks Illustrated)

• doses: 6 people
• tempo ativo: 35 minutes
• tempo total: 1-2 hours

Ingredientes

Beans

5 cups water, plus extra as needed

1 pound dried black beans (2 cups), picked over

and rinsed

4 ounces ham steak, trimmed

2bay leaves

¹⁄8 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped fine

1 large carrot, chopped fine

3 celery ribs, chopped fine

¹⁄2 teaspoon salt

5–6 garlic cloves, minced

¹⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1¹⁄2 tablespoons ground cumin

6 Cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons lime juice

Garnish

Lime wedges

Minced fresh cilantro

Red onion, diced fine

Avocado, halved, pitted, and diced

Sour cream

Instruções

1. FOR THE BEANS: Place water, beans, ham, bay leaves, and baking soda in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Using large spoon, skim foam from surface as needed. Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer briskly until beans are tender, 1¹⁄4 to 1¹⁄2 hours (if after 1¹⁄2 hours the beans are not tender, add 1 cup more water and continue to simmer until tender); do not drain beans. Discard bay leaves. Remove ham steak, cut into ¹⁄4-inch cubes, and set aside.

2. FOR THE SOUP: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, carrot, celery, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic, pepper flakes, and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans, bean cooking liquid, and chicken broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 30 minutes.

3. Ladle 1¹⁄2 cups beans and 2 cups liquid into food processor or blender, process until smooth, and return to pot. Stir together cornstarch and water in small bowl until combined, then gradually stir half of cornstarch mixture into soup. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to fully thicken. If soup is still thinner than desired once boiling, stir remaining cornstarch mixture to recombine and gradually stir mixture into soup; return to boil to fully thicken. Off heat, stir in lime juice and reserved ham; ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately, passing garnishes separately. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If necessary, thin it with additional chicken broth when reheating.)

Notas

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For a black bean soup recipe full of sweet, spicy, smoky flavors, we went with dried beans, which release flavor into the broth as they cook, unlike canned beans. Furthermore, they proved to be a timesaver: We discovered that it was unnecessary to soak them overnight or to use the “quick-soak method” to make them tender. We also found that we didn’t need from-scratch stock; we maximized flavor by using a mixture of water and store-bought chicken broth enhanced with ham and seasonings.

Dried beans tend to cook unevenly, so be sure to taste several beans to determine their doneness in step 1. For efficiency, you can prepare the soup ingredients while the beans simmer and the garnishes while the soup simmers. Though you do not need to offer all of the garnishes listed below, do choose at least a couple; garnishes are essential for this soup as they add not only flavor but texture and color as well.