Black Bean Soup

Use a large stockpot (8qt), or scale down recipe.

3 cups black beans, soaked and drained
4 cups chicken stock
8 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 strips thick cut bacon (more if you really like bacon)
2 yellow onions, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic (or less, to preference), minced
1 bay leaf

Soak the black beans in water for four hours or up to overnight. Soaking them for four hours seems perfectly sufficient in our kitchen.

In a large stockpot, warm olive oil. Cut bacon into small pieces and add to pot. Cook down until the fat renders and the bacon bits start to brown lightly. The kitchen will start smelling tasty, and you'll probably get on-lookers.

While the bacon is cooking, dice the onions, celery, carrot and bell pepper. Remove the bacon from the pot and reserve. Add onions and cook until they begin to sweat. Onions cooking in rendered bacon fat is pure culinary awesome, by the way. Add celery and carrot, cook until the onion goes translucent. Add bell pepper and garlic, cook just until fragrant.

Add bacon back to the pot. Drain and add the beans. Add the chicken stock & water. Add the bay leaf. Bring everything to a boil, then simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours or until the beans have cooked through.

Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, blend the soup until it is your desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Bean soup always needs more salt than I think it does, so don't be surprised if yours does too.

Serve with lime and a little sour cream, or cotija cheese, or maybe even avocado. M likes his a bit spicier than this recipe, so I'll work on adding chilies of some variety later.