Yield: 6 Servings
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1½ cup | Dried black beans, washed and sorted |
| Cold water, to cover beans | |
| ¼ cup | Vegetable oil or olive oil |
| 1 large | Onion, chopped |
| 1 large | Bunch cilantro, stemmed an chopped |
| 8 | Cloves garlic, minced |
| 2½ teaspoon | Cumin, ground |
| 2 teaspoons | Coriander, ground |
| ½ teaspoon | Oregano, crushed |
| 4½ teaspoon | New Mexico chili powder |
| 1½ teaspoon | Crushed red chilies |
| 28 ounces | Canned pureed tomatoes |
| 1 teaspoon | Freshly ground pepper |
| 3 cups | Chicken broth |
| Garlic, to taste | |
| 4 tablespoons | Brandy, or sherry |
| Grated Parmesan cheese, fresh | |
| Fresh cilantro |
TO SERVE
Clean beans, remove any debris, cover with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse beans.
STOVETOP: place beans in large stock pot and covering with cold water.
Bring to boil, lower temperature to low, cover and simmer 2-½ to 3 hours or until beans are very tender. CROCKPOT: Or cook beans overnight or all day on low. Do not add salt -- it makes the beans tough.
In a large skillet heat the oil of your choice, saute onion, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, chili powder and red chilies until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, pepper, chicken broth and garlic to taste.
Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, set aside.
Drain beans; cool and puree. Return to stock pot, add contents of skillet and stir well. Turn heat to medium and cook soup until heated through. Add additional broth if soup is too thick. Stir in brandy or sherry. Spoon soup into bowls. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cilantro.
Optional garnish: * A tablespoon of sour cream on top of each bowl * 1 tablespoon guacamole crudo (see recipe) Source: "California Cafe's Presents from The Broadway, The Cuisine of California"; by The Broadway Deparment store (c. 1990's). Reprinted in Cook and Tell 26 Jun 1997 (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside).
TIP: About Cooking Beans by Liz Caesar, Food Editor Jun 26 1997. Soak dried beans in two to three times as much water as beans. Remove any beans that float and any other debris. Soak overnight and bring to boil in the same water. Reduce heat and simmer ur til beans are tender.
If you have forgotten to soak overnight cover beans with cold water, bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Let stand tightly covered for 1 hour before cooking until tender but not mushy. One test for done- ness is to blow on a few of your cooked beans in a spoon. If the skins burst, they are cooked.
Posted by PAT-hanneman, Riverside, CA 6/27/97 Recipe by: The Broadway Department Store, California Posted to Kitmailbox by Kitchen PATh <phannema@...> on Jun 26, 1997