“Sopa Negra” Black Bean Soup with Boiled Egg

Yield 4-6 portions

450 g black beans, soaked over-night

2.5 L water or vegetable broth

1 medium white onion, medium dice

1 stalk celery, medium dice

1 small sweet pepper, medium dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch coriander/cilantro, stems and leaves separate

1 lime

4-6 eggs, hardboiled 6 min

Prepare ingredients and go to video or written instructions below.

1.  Soak beans overnight in water, then drain and place them into a large soup pot with 2.5 L water or vegetable broth. Add ¾ of each of the chopped vegetable and the coriander stems. Place on high until it begins to boil, then lower it to simmer for +/- 2.5 hours.

2.  Boil 4-6 eggs for 6 minutes and carefully remove them from the water and place them into a separate bowl with water and a few ice cubes to stop the cooking. When they are cool but not cold, remove from the water and set aside.

3.  When beans are cooked and have become soft add all the rest of the chopped vegetables. Continue to cook for another 20 min. This will give a vibrant flavor of the vegetables in the finished soup. As the vegetables become soft, remove it from the heat and add 1.5-2 teaspoons of salt, half of the coriander leaves, and the juice of ½ lime.

4.  If using a normal blender, let soup cool before processing it in the blender. Processing hot liquids with a lid on can potentially be dangerous because the steam from the hot liquid can pressurize and force the lid off.

5.  If using an immersion blender, you can begin to carefully process the hot soup directly in the pot. Move the immersion blender around the base of the pot to be certain all the beans and vegetables have been processed. Keep over a very low heat to be sure it stays warm before eating, stir often.

6.  If you used a normal blender, place the soup back into the pot and slowly bring back up to heat while using a medium heat and stirring often. The soup is very thick and can stick to the bottom and burn very easily.

7.  Peel the eggs, cut them into halves or quarters and place them on a plate and put them next to the soup pot so they will stay warm.

8.  Serve the soup hot into serving bowls and float one egg each into the bowls. Sprinkle a bit of fresh coriander on top and if you like spicy, you can drizzle some hot sauce on top as well. Enjoy!