Smoky Black Bean and Beer Soup

This is a soup we've been wanting to try for a while, and finally got around to it this week. It was worth the wait. It's a fairly simple soup, with few ingredient, but it's delicious. We have tons of dried beans from WIC so we're always looking for ways to prepare them, which usually means soups. This is a great one to try.We used our Dutch Oven for this and it gave it a great flavor. We got this recipe from the How to Cook Everything cookbook by Mark Bittman.

Smoky Black Bean and Beer Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbs minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

3 cups cooked black beans, drained (if your using dried beans cook them first)

3 cups vegetable, chicken, or beef stock or water (we used a homemade chicken stock, look for directions soon to follow)

1 bottle of your favorite beer

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp lime juice

1 cup grated cheddar or jack cheese, plus more to taste (we used a bag of Mexican blend pre-shredded cheese that we happened to have in the fridge)

If using dried beans:

• Put beans in a large pot with a tightly fitting lid and cover with cold water by 2-3 inches.
• Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to heat so the the beans bubble gently
• Partially cover and cook, stirring infrequently, checking beans for doneness every 10-15 minutes, and adding a little more water if necessary
• When beans start to get tender add a large pinch of salt and some pepper
• Stop cooking when beans are done the way you like them, taste and adjust seasoning; use immediately or store

Directions:

• Put oil in a large deep pot (or Dutch Oven) over medium heat
• When hot add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes
• Stir in garlic and cumin and cook, stirring, for another minute
• Add beans, stock, beer, and some salt and pepper
• Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat
• Puree some of the soup with an immersion blender or in the blender.
• Add lime juice and 1cup cheese and stir
• Serve and top with more cheese if desired

Chi loved the soup, as you can see :-)