Black bean soup with lime cream

 We actually managed to clear the patio free of ice and grilled yesterday in honor of spring. The garage door is no longer frozen shut, so that's a plus as well. Slush is forecast for the day after tomorrow, so I'm still keeping the refrigerator stocked with soups.

Black bean soup with lime cream

From “The California Cook” by Diane Rossen Worthington

Ingredients
1 pound black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2 quarts water
½ small ham hock or bone
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Garnish
½ cup sour cream
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch white pepper
Cilantro leaves
½ cup salsa

Method
Soak beans overnight, or for a quick soak, in a large pot cover beans with enough water to cover, bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain beans, picking out any loose floating skins.

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until softened. Add jalapeños, garlic, red pepper, cumin, coriander and oregano. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add beans, water and ham bone. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until beans are tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. Remove ham bone, removing meat and set it aside.

Puree half of the soup mixture, either in a blender or with a stick blender. Add in 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and any ham bits off the bone. Cook to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine sour cream, lime juice, salt and pepper for lime cream garnish. Serve soup topped with salsa, lime cream and cilantro. Serves 8 reasonably well.

Rating: Dave really liked it. I thought it actively not bad. I could see making it again. I might punch up the lime and cumin just a bit if I do. Fairly mild heat. It has a nice texture from the partially pureed beans but still has enough solids to seem hearty.