Mike’s Black Bean Soup
Mike Retzlaff
Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as an appetizer
1ea. 15 oz. can of Bush’s Best Black Beans
2 cans / bottles of beer (ale or lager; just pick something you’ve been drinking anyway)
1 small onion diced
3 – 5 oz. andouille sausage sliced or diced
2 slices of bacon – cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic minced
¼ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. ancho chili powder
¼ tsp. liquid crab boil
2 – 3 dashes of hot sauce
1 – 2 dashes of Tony Chacherie’s Cajun Seasoning
1 bay leaf
- Cook the sausage and bacon in a 2 qt pot. Before it gets crisp, add the diced onion, and cook until translucent. Add garlic and spices. Continue to sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds.)
- Add one can / bottle of beer and deglaze the pot. The remaining beer is for the cook – it isn’t easy toiling over a hot stove.
- Add the beans w/liquid to the pot. Use a stick blender to liquefy some of the beans. Toss in the bay leaf after blending.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the soup has thickened to your liking. If it gets too thick, add a little more beer.
- Salt to taste.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Notes:
The soup can be topped with grated cheese, pickled jalapeno slices, pickle relish, chopped green olives, chopped onion tops, or nothing at all.
This soup goes extremely well with a skillet of buttered cornbread right out of the oven.
When blending the beans, blend a little to leave some whole beans or blend a lot to puree – it’s all personal preference. If you like a chunkier soup, rough cut the onion and use a potato masher.
The butcher assured me that the animals used in making the sausage and bacon were vegan. This should alleviate any problems for those who have self-restricted diets.
Crescent City Brew Talk 