Black Bean and Rice Soup

Originally when I thought of this soup my idea was to get the flavor of the Miami Black Bean Soup mix that my mom had bought me a couple times in the past. I knew there was lime & a smokey flavor to it but beyond that I was just kind of winging it.

This really didn't come out at all like the soup I was trying to replicate, the biggest issue was I started out with too few beans in comparison to the other ingredients, but I did end up with a really great winter soup anyway. I love the fresh tang the lime juice added at the end gives it.

We used a ham bone that was in the freezer left over from Easter but you could easily use a shank or ham hock for this as well. Be careful when adding the liquid smoke, it can get to be an overwhelming flavor pretty quickly.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

1 c black beans, soaked
1 T olive oil
5 oz red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz celeriac, chopped
1/2 a red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded & chopped
1 meaty ham bone
3 c water
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t chipotle powder
1 t white wine vinegar
4 dashed liquid smoke
1/2 c rice
juice of 2 limes
salt

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic & peppers then sauté for about 7 minutes. Add the beans, ham bone, water, cumin, oregano, vinegar and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the beans are tender & the meat is starting to fall off the bone.

Remove the ham bone from the soup & take any remaining meat off of it. Return the meat to the pot. Add the rice. Cover & simmer for another 30 minutes until the rice is cooked. Add the lime juice & season to taste. If the soup seems a little thick add more water.

4 - 5 servings

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