black bean soup.

i love black beans. this is not a secret. i love soup. also, not a secret. here's my black bean soup recipe.

ingredients:

1 bag goya dried black beans, pre-soaked, picked through, and rinsed

fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste (i used about 1/3 cup)

3 leaves fresh culantro, chopped

2 white onions, diced

6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

black pepper, to taste

sea or kosher salt, to taste

water (about 3 cups)

white vinegar (1 capful)

hot sauce, to taste (optional)

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

olive oil

PRE-SOAKING THE BEANS

put the beans in a plastic container. add about 1/2 cup of vinegar. fill the container w/ cold water. your beans will need to soak about 24 hours in your fridge (or, if your kitchen is FREEZING the way mine is, they can stay out). how will you know they're soft enough? the dark purple liquid that will run off of them when you rinse. also, the beans will be soft enough to squeeze ever so slightly.

instructions:

in your stock pot, add all spices (except vinegar and hot sauce), olive oil, garlic, and onions. heat on medium-high heat until onions are translucent.

add rinsed beans to pot.

add water, vinegar, and hot sauce.

bring soup to a full boil, stirring occasionally (to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot).

reduce heat.

simmer for approximately 3 hours or until the beans reach your desired tenderness.

you may also add to this soup: chicken broth, veggie stock, or beef broth instead of water. you may also include bacon. because bacon is fucking delicious.