Black Bean Soup from andrew rollins


 Ingredients:
 - 1lb. dry black beans
 - 2tbsp cumin (or to taste)
 - 1tsp ground black pepper
 - 1 or 2tsp salt
 - a ham steak, about the size of a sandwich plate or so
 - 1 small can chipotle peppers in sauce.  Chop 2 to 4 peppers finely.
 - about 2/3c each finely chopped carrots, celery, onion
 - 2 or 3 cups chicken stock (bullion is okay, but go for low-salt)
 - 2 or 3tsp vinegar (whatever kind you want, to taste)
 - some cornstarch

 Any amount can be altered to taste.  Like any dish, the only way to really ruin this is to oversalt it or burn it.  Omit the ham steak and use vegetable stock if you're not into meat.  I accidentally forgot the carrot, celery and onion once and I didn't even notice until the next day.  It was still great, just different.  Whatever.

 Anway, cut the ham steak in quarters and toss it in a pot with the beans.  Add water to about double the depth of the beans and get a light boil going.  Add salt.  They'll take about 20 to 30 minutes to cook, maybe more.  Test for doneness by eating.  Overcooking the beans really isn't a big deal, but some texture is nice.  Anyway, stir the beans occasionally and check that the water level doesn't fall more than a couple of bean lengths below the beans.  Level with them is good, but try to time things so you've boiled off a couple of bean lengths of water by the time they're done, maybe even more.

 While the beans are going, saute the carrots, celery and onion (Emeril calls this combination the Holy Trinity) in some butter or whatever else you want.  Set it aside for now.  Once the beans are done, fish out the ham (gross-looking, isn't it?), then take 1/4 to 1/2 the beans/liquid and puree them.  Then dump them back in.  Cube the ham steak and dump it in.  Add the peppers you chopped, plus a bunch of the sauce from the can.  Add everything else but the cornstarch, tasting frequently to see if it's too much or too little (I guessed at all the measurements).  Let this simmer for a while, stirring now and then.  If you don't have time for the simmering, that's fine, just stir it up.

 If you're happy with the soup's thickness, you're done.  If it's too thin, mix up a quarter cup or so of cold water with a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch.  I find adding the cornstarch to the water and immediately mixing furiously with a fork or whisk is a good way to avoid lumps.  Dump this in and stir at a simmer or boil; it should thicken up in a couple of minutes at the most.  Keep starching until you're happy with it.  Serve as is or top with whatever (sour cream is great; other suggestions include diced tomatoes, onions or green onions, crumbled corn chips).  Crusty bread is nice with this, especially high-powered sourdough.