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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Aftermath & Black Bean Soup

First, MANY THANKS to fellow bloggers and friends who have called and/or emailed to ask if we were OK during the megastorm called Sandy. We appreciated your concern and are OK, as are family members along the east coast; some in NJ lost power, which hopefully will be restored soon. We pray that you and yours fared well during the storm’s worst. Today’s forecast on the VA eastern shore is intermittent showers and light winds, thankfully.

1012 black bean soup (1)IF you were reading Grenville’s weather update posts yesterday, you know that our area, like most of the eastern U.S. was pummeled with relentless downpours and gusting winds. It was perfect soup weather, if you didn’t lose power OR have a gas stove (as we do).

1012 black bean soup (4)Black bean soup was on the menu with nasty weather outside The Frog & PenguINN. I’ve ordered it when dining out, but never made it. Best of all, it uses many of our favorite spices, ones starting with the letter “C” like cumin, coriander, cilantro, cayenne. And, while not a spice, chicken broth also coincidentally it also begins with “C.”

Black Bean Soup

  • 1 C dried black beans
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1-2 carrots, chopped
  • 7 C broth (low sodium chicken or beef or combo)
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cilantro
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • Scallions, chopped (optional)
  • Plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Sort through beans to discard any that don’t look good; then soak overnight in enough cold water to cover. Failing to do that, I followed a fast method on the bean package: sort, wash, add 3-4 cups of hot water, boil 2-3 minutes, then set aside for 1 hour before using.

  1. In a large, wide pot, sauté carrots, celery, and onions until softened (about 10 minutes).
  2. Add drained black beans, broth, spices and a bay leaf to pot.1012 black bean soup (6)
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered until beans are tender (about 1-1/2 to 2 hours), stirring occasionally.
  4. Discard bay leaf; use a food processor (or blender) to puree the soup, adding more broth as needed. Return to pot and reheat to serving temperature, adding salt to taste.

    Chop scallions and use as a garnish for individual servings. Top with plain yogurt or sour cream, if preferred.

1012 black bean soup (9)

Notes: Tried using the immersion blender, which had trouble pureeing the beans, so switched to food processor.

To spice up the flavor, I added a dash of cayenne pepper (not too much) and 1TBSP of chipotle seasoning.

Yield was two containers. One was frozen for another meal; the other is on tonight’s dinner menu to be enjoyed with a salad and Grenville’s homemade bread.

18 comments:

Ludwig said...

Glad you came through without problems. Soup sounds good, bon appetite!

DeniseinVA said...

Relieved to hear that you and your family are okay. We are too and worry about our friends further up north. Take good care of yourselves, and oh my, thank you for this recipe. It's going on my list now that the weather is turning chillier.

Linda G. said...

I'm happy to read that you came through this storm without problems.

CountryDew said...

That sounds wonderful. So glad you made it through the storm without too much hassle. Roanoke fared well - lucky us!

HermitJim said...

Glad you came through the storm OK.

The soup can certainly be a good comfort food in times of stress, no doubt!

Again, I'm glad you all are OK!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad You are ok!
We've read reports on how bad the storm hit NY and New Jersey.

Happy Halloween!
Christer.

I think I'm one day early wishing Happy Halloween but I'm not sure I'm out in the cyber space tomorrow :-)

Leonora said...

I'm glad you fared well enough in the storm. Soup during the storm is about as cozy and secure as one can be!

Rebecca said...

Sounds delicious. Glad you are OK.

Unknown said...

Soups are a favorite here too...I am in last stages of selling the PA house, the very loud Hallelujiah you will hear will be me! Hope you are weathering the storm well. Sandy was a very nasty gal...

MadSnapper said...

sounds good to me and thanks for reminding me i have not made dirty rice with black beans in ages, forgot all about it. next week i will purchase the ingredients.

NCmountainwoman said...

So glad to hear you are all safe and sound.

Lois Evensen said...

Glad to know you are OK out there. Our son and family in Alexandria VA fared well, too. They lost power for a time, but otherwise were fine.

Ginnie said...

So glad you came through OK. We had a lot of wind but little rain. Very lucky.

Elaine said...

Looks perfect for weathering the storm!

Valerie said...

It is a relief to know you and other blogging friends are okay. Only one hasn't been in touch. Still praying! We have the winds now and it's very cold.

Love the idea of black bean soup right now, I will try your recipe.

Connie said...

Your soup sounds good! I'm so glad to hear you made it through the storm OK.

L. D. said...

Your soup sounds and looks delicious. It looks like a great recipe. I am glad you two are ok.

Charlotte Wilson said...

You need to call it your Frankenstorm soup! Looks delish!