Black Bean Soup w/ Bacon


Ah, what's better than a homemade bowl of soup on a cold day?
(maybe a piece of cake or grilled cheese sandwich....).

I like to make stocks with leftover chicken or turkey carcasses and vegetables and keep them in the freezer for delicious soups.

Keep in mind, a roasted chicken carcass (bones only) will yield a darker color and richer flavor stock.

But if you are making let's say, matzoh ball or chicken noodle soup, then you would want to use a lighter stock made w/ raw chicken meat, bones, skin, etc.

My stocks come out different each time, depending on the bird, the seasonings, etc.

I always have chicken stock in the freezer, and this and a little bacon made this soup better than your usual black bean version.

Bacon makes everything better.


Black Bean Soup w/ Bacon: (adapted from All Recipes)

3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups chicken broth
2 cups of chicken broth (preferably homemade)
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of hot pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tsp salt
2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
14 1/2 fluid ounces water
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Relish:
1/3 cup minced green onion
2 teaspoons sambal paste (or minced red chiles)
juice of 1 lime

Garnish:
chopped green onion
sour cream

Place bacon in a cold pot. Turn heat to medium, cook and stir until the bacon is cooked but not crisp.

Stir in onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and golden.


Stir in garlic; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, turn heat to medium-high. Stir in oregano, cumin, cayenne and salt. Add black beans and water. Return to a simmer.

Simmer on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. While it's cooking, mash about half the beans to thicken the soup (I also took half the soup out of the pot and transfered to another vessel.....I used an immersion blender to puree half the solids....then put back in the pot).

Stir in black pepper and cumin. Add salt to taste.

Make the relish by stirring together minced green onion, sambal paste, and lime juice.
Serve garnished with relish, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

If you skip this delicious relish, you can always buy a jar of Trader Joe's chili corn relish, which I can not live without.
It is sweet and spicy and goes nicely with this black bean soup.


Stay warm.

:)

Comments

Sara said…
Stacy, do you cumin or cayenne in this recipe? I always look forward to your posts.
Thank you
Stacey Snacks said…
Yes, the recipe calls for cumin and cayenne.......you can use as much or as little as you like.

Stacey
Carolyn said…
This looks do good with bacon and cumin!! So hard doing a New Years low carb diet when I see a recipe like this!!!