BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH BACON AND BEER
Alright, so this is a
Dave Lieberman recipe, not my own. (I changed it very slightly, but not enough to claim it's original.) But it's just so good and easy that I want to share it.
The beer is treated as an optional ingredient, but I highly recommend including it. Also, it's important to get really good bacon. I'm personally hooked on black forest bacon from whole foods, which cooks up beautifully and smells and tastes amazing.
Of course, it's important to have good ingredients throughout, especially with a recipe that uses lots of processed stuff- I try to pick up things that don't have tonnes of unnecessary additives. Get good ketchup and sour cream 'n stuff.
INGREDIENTS
10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 white or yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can or bottle of beer
15oz chicken stock* (about 2 cups)
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
4 15 oz cans of black beans, drained but not rinsed (do get good canned beans without tonnes of salt, since you are not rinsing them)
salt and pepper
1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped
juice of 1 whole lime
sliced scallions, for garnish
sour cream, for garnish
shredded cheddar, for garnish
*You may want to use low-sodium stock because there's plenty of salt in the bacon and other ingredients, but I used Kirkland brand regular-sodium chicken stock in it and it was just fine, not too salty. (This may also relate to the quality of your other ingredients- perhaps mine weren't as excessively salty.) If you have leftover chicken stock, simply freeze it in an ice cube tray for future use.
This is what my favourite bacon looks like.
DIRECTIONS
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dave Lieberman recipe
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 [AND BEER]. 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.
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This is what it looks like when it's done.
So there you go. It's a hearty, relatively cheap, fast and easy recipe.