My son Finnian's due date was December 26, 2019. This was somewhat bad timing, as my mother always hosts all of our relatives for an elaborate two-day Christmas feast. Christmas eve typically features a nochebuena nod to my Cuban heritage with roast pork, rice, and black beans, whereas Christmas day is hella Italian with multiple pans of lasagna and a spiral ham. For the nochebuena, my grandmother is always in charge of the frijoles. For this past Christmas, my parents did not host their typical multi-day extravaganza, but instead traveled up to Philly with my grandmother so they could be here for the birth. It was during this visit that I actually watched my grandmother make her black beans. Remember when I told you she likes short cuts? This was no exception.
My grandmother has no shame in using canned black beans, and truthfully no one should as they are delicious and easy. But if you have the time and want the opportunity to control your sodium intake, soaking your own dried beans is a wonderful route that ensures your beans won't turn into total mush.
My grandmother also doesn't bother with ham hock, but instead uses ham steak to get the salty, porky flavor into her black bean soup. This is a trick that my mother has adopted when making her own favorites, such as sopa de garbanzos. My in-laws also use this trick when craving split pea soup but without a hambone. I guess ham hocks aren't always easy to find, though I've spotted them a lot more recently next to the bone marrow and oxtail in the supermarket. I found ham hocks in packs of three, and saved the unused ones in the freezer for a rainy day.
Other than those two changes, this is essentially my grandmother's recipe. I will say though that my grandmother eyeballs her portions and babysits her sopa as if it were, well, a baby, checking on it every fifteen minutes to ensure it is properly simmering no matter who else is in the kitchen. We could be in the middle of prepping the roast pork or sautéing vegetables and she would shuffle her way in, slowly moving the lid and giving a stir with the same wooden spoon resting alongside the stove. After a tiny taste, she might make a minuscule adjustment, return the lid to its askew position, and shuffle back to her cozy spot on the sofa before repeating the process. I guess that's what they mean when they say it's made with love.
For anyone keeping score, we made it through Christmas eve and Christmas day that year sans baby, after which my wife induced and gave birth on the 29th. This meant on New Year's Eve, we were released into the wild with this thing we had to take care of. But at least we had enough leftover soup to get us through.
Oh, and don't forget the vinegar at the end. It makes a world's difference.
With sopa to spare,
~c.j.
SOPA DE FRIJOLES NEGROS
INACTIVE COOK TIME: At least 8 hours (for soaking beans), + 2 hr for stewing
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 15-20 minutes
YIELD: A boatload! (easily 8-12 servings)
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried black beans
1 tbsp + 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed or minced
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 ham hock (roughly 1/2 lb)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
optional: garnishes (chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, sprinkling of cayenne pepper, chopped raw white onion)
DIRECTIONS
Place black beans in a large bowl and pick out any traces of rock or gravel. Add 6 cups water and 1 tbsp kosher salt, stirring until the salt mostly dissolves. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature 8 hours or overnight.
In a large pot or dutch oven, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, green bell pepper, and 1 tsp kosher salt and sauté until soft and onions go translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the black pepper and cumin and sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add ham hock, oregano, bay leaves, the soaked beans and their liquid, and an additional 6 cups water to the pot. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer with the lid slightly askew for about 1-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so. You will know it is ready when the liquid has thickened and the beans are tender.
Remove the ham hock and bay leaves and discard. Optionally, you can shred some of the meat off the ham hock and add it back to the soup before discarding.
When ready to serve, remove from heat and stir in apple cider vinegar. Serve as is or over rice. Top with garnishes, if using.
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