Black Bean Soup, Al's Original

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darien3

Black Bean Soup

Al's Original Black Bean Soup

Serving suggestion: Perfect for a Halloween Party - the soup is practically black, the garnish cheese a deep orange... I always make a double or triple amount, yet it still always goes fast... A real hit around our house...

Ingredients:

1 bag (16 oz.) dried black beans *
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper ( or, to taste )
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbs. cilantro (same as coriander leaves, and also known as Chinese parsley)
6 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or 3 tsp. chicken bouillon)
1/2 lb. ground chorico
1 lb. bacon, cut into bite-sized 1-inch squares
1 medium-sized red salad onion (sometimes called "hamburger" or "Spanish" onion);
or about half of a very large one, diced
several large cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 large (24 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 level tsp. baking soda

Garnish:

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
(shredded Cheddar cheese may be substituted, according to preference)

NOTE: This dish is best prepared in a slow-cooker (crock pot) over the course of about 36 hours. At a minimum, it should cook for 4 hours.

1.) Carefully examine dried beans for any small stones or other impurities. Remove any, and then rinse beans in a colander or other strainer. Place beans into crock pot. Add about 6 cups water. Turn crock pot on High setting. Add baking soda and cover pot.

2.) Add black pepper, garlic salt, salt, cumin, cilantro, and bouillon cubes to the pot. Cover again. Allow to simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring thoroughly about every 20 - 30 minutes.

3.) Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients. Add all remaining ingredients (except the cheese) to the crock pot. Leave pot on High for an additional hour.

4.) After about an hour or so, take a large spoon and carefully skim most of the grease off of the top of the mixture. Discard. At this point in time, turn the crock pot setting to Low. Check pot again over the next few hours. If necessary, skim and discard any additional grease which may have accumulated. Your goal is not to discard every single drop of grease, as this adds flavor to the dish. You just want to get rid of most of it.

5.) The dish is done when it appears that about half of the beans have a pureed look. This can take anywhere between 5 and 8 hours, depending upon your crock pot's wattage. Generally, allowing the dish to simmer for a day and a half or so will greatly improve the flavor. Extra water may be added to create the proper consistency, if necessary. The soup should resemble a hearty stew's consistency, with some liquid broth. It should not be really thick, resembling chili con carne - although it is equally delicious eaten this way.

6.) Serve very hot, topped with shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

* It is absolutely necessary to use Black Beans. Any substituting will alter the authenticity of the taste of this dish.

"It was 20 years ago, today..." that my friends and my sister decided to surprise me - treating me to dinner at the El Torito
Restaurant, which used to be located just off of the rotary, in Middleboro, Mass.
The wait staff allowed me to bring home 2 of these dated glasses, and I also coaxed the base of this recipe - with much dilligence -
out of their cook. It's been modified, like any of us do - over the years - but it's still very close to theirs. I'd start with this, the first time - then you may want to adjust it to your taste - to add and subtract ingredients, if you wish - to more suit you and your family's taste.

One of the glasses was broken fairly quickly. We were just using them - right along with all of the other drinking glasses. When that happened, I put the second one away - way up on the top shelf of the cabinet. It was up there all of these years. When I was cleaning in there - not more than 6 months ago - I had set this one down on the counter. I reached for something else, it fell, and it broke this one.

When I saw "1991" on it, I couldn't even believe that it is from that long ago!