Black Bean Soup

Here are 5 facts on black beans:
1. It is one of the main components of a typical Venezuelan dish: Pabellón Criollo
2. You can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner
3. They are an excellent source of antioxidants
4. Mom and I like them sweet (adding a bit of sugar)
5. When my brother was little he didn’t eat them because he thought he would turn black (he still doesn’t eat them…)

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried black beans
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Water
1 small onion or 1/2 a big onion
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
To serve: you can top with a drizzle of olive oil, some crumbled feta cheese, add a bit of sugar, eat them with rice… it all depends on what you like!

Preparation:
The night before, ‘select’ the black beans (discarding any small stones, etc.) and place them in a bowl with enough water to cover them, add the baking soda and leave soaking overnight. The next morning, discard that water, place the black beans in a pot, and add about 10 to 12 cups of water. In a blender or food processor, blend the onion and garlic with a bit of water, then add to the pot, as well as the cumin. Cook on medium heat. You will see a bit of foam forming on the sides of the pot in the beginning, take it out with a spoon or ladle and discard. Let the black beans cook until they are tender, around 2 hours at least. If they seem to be drying out just add a bit more water. Once they begin to soften, you can press them with a ladle against the sides of the pot, this will help thicken the soup. Once they are cooked and tender, add salt to taste and serve.

Panchita’s Tip: Do not add the salt before they have finished cooking, or the beans will remain hard.

For this and more recipes visit my blog: http://panchasrecipes.wordpress.com/

En Español: http://recetasdepanchita.com/

Other recipes by Zorymar:

Alfajores
Carne Mechada (Venezuelan Shredded Beef)
Asado Negro (Venezuelan Roast Beef)
Pastel de Acelga (Swiss Chard Pie)
Tostones
Tajadas (Fried Ripe Plantain Slices)
Torta Tres Leches (Tres Leches Cake)

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