A Black Bean Recipe

We're headed to the Enderby Seed Swap tomorrow  and for the occasion we threshed and winnowed some of the black turtle beans we've had hanging up to dry since fall. 
Since many people are used to buying canned beans and are unsure how to cook dried beans. There are a million recipes online, just search dried bean recipes and you'll get soups, and salads, bean dips and probably burritos. 

If you don't presoak your beans they will take hours to cook, unless you have a pressure cooker.  So I put them in a bowl and cover with lots of cool water, they soak up a lot! The next morning I drain the water and rinse them in a colander. Then cook them that day. 

Here's a recipe, I haven't used this exact one, but if YOU try it, let me know how it went!


Black Bean Soup
1 lb dried black beans
3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 -6 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 chicken bouillon cubes, or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste

Directions:
The night before, soak the beans in cold water. 

The next day, drain the beans and cover them with fresh water. Bring the beans to a boil.  Reduce the heat. You want the beans to simmer gently for most of the cooking process.

Cover the pot and simmer until beans are tender. Can take 30 min - 1 hr. Add water as necessary. 

Add the vegetables now.  When the beans are perfectly tender add the vegetable oil, chopped vegetables and seasonings. 

Put the lid back on and simmer the soup for another 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

When everything is tender, it's ready to serve.

---