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
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 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, chopped pickles, chopped green olives, chopped onion tops, or nothing at all.
This soup goes extremely well with a skillet of 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.
Substitute a few chopped strips of bacon for the sausage (or in addition).
The butcher assured me that the animals used in making the sausage were vegan. This should alleviate any problems for those who have self-restricted diets.
Crescent City Brew Talk 