Ouisie's Black Bean Soup
Submitted by cathrine
Ouisie’s black bean soup with toasted cumin, thyme, carrots, celery, and chili flakes, half-pureed for body. Topped with sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsThis restaurant-quality black bean soup earned its reputation for good reason. Named for Ouisie’s Table in Houston, it is built slow the old way: an overnight soak, gentle simmer, half pureed for body, and finished with freshly toasted cumin seeds ground by mortar and pestle.
Foam skimming during the first 30 minutes of simmering is a detail most recipes skip. That foam carries the indigestible compounds that give beans their reputation, removing it cleanly results in a smoother soup and smoother afternoon.
Toasting cumin seeds in a dry pan before grinding is the flavor move that separates decent bean soup from great. The heat wakes up cumin’s oils and sweetens the spice. Do not skip this in favor of pre-ground cumin, the difference is dramatic.
Pureeing half the beans with chicken broth is the thickening trick that gives this soup its silky body without cream. The whole beans that stay intact add texture contrast.
Serve in heated bowls (a small detail that keeps the last bite hot as the first) with sour cream, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge for squeezing. The acid brightens everything.
Chef Tips
- Soak overnight minimum, shortcuts with quick-soak methods give inferior texture.
- Keep the simmer low, aggressive boiling breaks bean skins and turns the soup muddy.
- Deglaze the saute pan with vermouth as directed, it pulls every drop of flavor into the pot.
- Taste for salt only at the end, salt added too early can harden bean skins.
Variations
- Add diced smoked ham hock during the simmer for Southern depth.
- Stir in a chopped chipotle in adobo for smoky heat.
- Top with diced avocado and crumbled queso fresco instead of sour cream.
Ingredients
Directions
The night before, wash the beans thoroughly in a colander and pick out the rocks and earth and the occasional malformed specimen.
Place them in a bowl, with enough fresh, cold water to cover them by 3 inches, and set aside.
The next day, drain the beans and put them in a large soup pot.
Cover with cold water and turn the burner on low. As the beans heat, foam will rise to the surface; skim this off with a large cooking spoon, and repeat until all the foam is gone.
Add the onion wedges, the garlic and the bay leaves.
Simmer, stirring occasionally and adding water when the liquid gets low.
When the beans are tender (this takes from one to three hours), remove the onion wedges and garlic.
Now spoon out half of the beans, allow to cool, and purée in a food processor with the chicken broth.
Return the mixture to the pot.
Add salt to taste and simmer while you prepare the vegetables.
Toast the cumin seeds in a non-oiled sauté pan and grind them with a mortar and pestle or in an electric spice-grinder.
Heat the oil in the same pan and cook the carrots, celery, and garlic until translucent.
Add the cumin, thyme and chili flakes, and stir.
Add the vegetables to the bean pot, deglaze the pan with a little dry Vermouth or water, and add this liquid to the beans also.
Check the seasoning, simmer another 10 minutes, and your soup is ready.
Serve the soup in heated bowls so that even the last bite will be warm.
Top each serving with a teaspoon of Sour cream, chopped green onion and cilantro, and add a lime wedge on the side for squeezing into the soup.
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