Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb dried black beans
4 quarts of water
1/2 cup brown rice
8 ounces pancetta or very lean unsmoked or lightly smoked bacon (I used pastrami deli ends)
2 medium onions cut into 1 inch pieces
8 large garlic cloves coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon herbes-de-provence (or equal portions oregano, thyme, marjoram, savory - can also add sage or rosemary)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 14ounce can or diced tomatos
1 tablespoon salt (depends on saltiness of meat used)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons tobasco
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Discard damaged or debris from beans and soak for 3 + hours in cold water. Drain.

2. Place beans, rice, and water into pot. Cut meat into 1/4inch cubes. Heat to boil uncovered (~20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Skim and discard foam. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

3. Add onions, garlic, Herbes-de-Provence, chili powder, tomatoes, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for ~1 1/2 hours.

4. (i skipped this step) Emulsify the mixture with a hand blender for 5-10 seconds to thicken the mixture slightly while still maintaining its overall chunkiness

5. Mix together the oil, vinegar, and tabasco in a small bowl and add to the soup.

6. Serve and enjoy

From From Jacques Pepin "Essential Pepin" (pg 20)

My Ratings

Taste	5/5
Ease of making	3/5
Worth effort	4/5