BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH CUMIN

Black Bean Soup with Cumin image

Provided by Food Network

Time 2h30m

Number Of Ingredients 20

2 cups dried black beans, washed and picked over
8 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced or pureed
1 large jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, if desired and finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups Salsa Fresca for garnish, recipe to follow
1 cup Crema, recipe to follow, creme fraiche or sour cream, for garnish
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 medium ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 red onion, minced
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, if desired and minced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup buttermilk

Steps:

In a large saucepan over high heat, place the water and black beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the beans are soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat. In another large saucepan or stockpot, heat the olive oil or butter over medium-low heat. Cook the onions until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, jalapeno and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic's aroma is released, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the black beans and their liquid and mix well. Pour in the vegetable stock. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, an additional 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender in batches and puree until smooth, pulsing the machine on and off until it begins to liquefy. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a generous tablespoonful of Salsa Fresca and Crema, creme fraiche or sour cream.
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir and toss well, and serve. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator no more than a day.
Whisk the cream and buttermilk together. Cover and set in a warm place for 8 hours. Crema may be kept in the refrigerator as long as a week.