Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cream

This soup is satisfying and hearty; the accoutrements give it an extra bit of pizzaz therefore I highly recommend going the extra mile. For a vegetarian option you can use vegetable broth and leave out the bacon substituting 3 T vegetable or olive oil instead, but the bacon fat does significantly boost the flavor. Duh

Adapted from Fine Cooking Annual vol.1

For the avocado cream:

1 large avocado

3 T lime juice (fresh, please)

1/4 c sour cream or table crema

1/2 t kosher salt

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 t honey

1 cup cilantro

Mix all the ingredients in a mini food processor until smooth.

For the soup:

1 lb dried black beans 

6 slices bacon, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1 medium carrot, diced

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups of water

2 bay leaves

2 t kosher salt

14 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Put the dried beans in a large pot with water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat and let the beans soak overnight (or at least several hours). Before starting the soup, drain and rinse the beans. 

In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, fry the chopped bacon until you have nice crispy bacon bits. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside but leave the drippings. Add all the vegetables and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the are starting to brown. Add the both liquids, the beans, bay leaves and salt; cover and cook for about 2 1/2 hours until the beans are nice and smushy. Add the canned tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes or so. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or if you want an even smoother consistency use a real blender. I feel that the real blender is too much effort and possible danger/mess so I avoid it for soups whenever I can. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Serve with the accoutrements and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Accoutrements (choose any or all):

Quick pickled red onions (red onions sliced thinly and marinated in a bit of lime juice, vinegar and salt)

Avocado Cream

Bacon Bits

Chopped Cilantro

Chopped Green Onion

Lime Wedges

Cotijo Cheese

Diced Radishes

Crushed Tortilla Chips

Diced Cabbage