Sopa de Frijol Negro (Black Bean Soup)

March 2008

Sopa de Frijol Negro
Best Black Bean Soup
This month we give you one of Chef Ana’s favorite traditional Mexican recipes, however, this is her version.
For more information on Chef Ana and her creations, check out our new program, Hola Mexico!

Please note:: This is actually a two-part recipe. The first recipe is to make the Frijoles de la Olla or cooked black beans.
They can be used as a side dish if you are not making the soup recipe that follows. If you have leftover beans you can leave them in their broth, refrigerate them and use them later as a side.

Ingredients: Frijoles de la Olla

• 1 pound dry black beans
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 large sprig of epazote (you can use either dry or fresh)
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

Frijoles de la Olla Preparation

1. Clean the beans thoroughly. You are looking specifically for stones or bad-looking beans. Rinse the beans well and place in a large five or six quart pot or an earthenware pot.

2. Add the beans and two quarts of water. Add the epazote, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil and cover.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered until the beans are tender after roughly two hours. If you are familiar with a pressure cooker you can use that as well to speed up the cooking process.

4. Every now and then you will need to stir the beans and add water to keep the water level to about ¾ inch above the level of the beans.

5. After the beans are completely cooked, season with salt and let them simmer another 10 to 15 minutes to absorb the salt.

6. Remove from the heat and they are ready to serve in a bowl with the broth covering the beans. SAVE THE BROTH! You will need it for the soup!

Ingredients: Soup

• 1 cup of cooked black beans (frijoles de la olla)
• 8 cups of black bean broth (save the broth when cooking

• 2 tomatoes, roasted and peeled
• ½ white onion
• 2 roasted garlic cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of whole cumin
• 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
• 1 jalapeño chile, roasted and peeled
• salt to taste

Soup Preparation

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until very smooth. You will have to do
this in batches since the ingredients won’t all fit in the blender at the same time.

2. Cut the jalapeno chile in four pieces and add little by little so you can decide how spicy you want your soup.

3. Place the mixture in a sauce pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients: Goat Cheese and Crouton Garnish

• 4 oz of soft goat cheese crumbled
• 3 cups of French bread cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup olive oil

Garnish Preparation

1. To make the croutons, place the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

2. Add the peeled garlic clove and cook until golden. Take the garlic clove out and add the French bread to the oil. Toss until all the bread is coated and toast until golden either on top of the stove or in the oven.

3. Sprinkle the goat cheese and croutons on the soup and serve.