For most of us who grew up in Chattanooga before the 1980s, our palates were denied the pleasures of many foods from other lands; our choices were quite limited.
If we wanted Mexican, we made a run for the border, a.k.a. Taco Bell. For Chinese, there was a tiny little restaurant on 10th Street. And there were a handful of decent Italian restaurants in town. But that was about it.
Anne BralySo it wasn’t until I was in high school that I first experienced Cuban cuisine, something very common in town now. I was visiting a friend in Florida and her mother made black bean soup. It may sound strange that I hadn’t had black bean soup until I was in ninth grade, but that’s how things were back then.
When I had my first taste of the soup, I fell in love with it, thinking it was quite possibly the best soup I’d ever had. Nothing has changed. I wrote my friend a few years ago and was able to get her mom’s recipe. Now it’s my go-to dish whenever the weather turns cold and my mouth begins watering for something to warm me to my bones.
It does not disappoint. It has the depth and taste that beans develop as they simmer slowly on the stove, bringing tenderness and flavor to the palate, not to mention the incredible richness that ham hocks deliver as the meat slowly falls from the bones and marries with the other ingredients.
This soup is simple to prepare, but does take a little time. To bring out the best flavors – and if you have the time – bake your own ham and save the juices that collect in the bottom of the roasting pan; there should be plenty and they will bring this soup to new heights. Plus, there’s a bonus: You’ll have plenty of ham on hand for sandwiches to serve with the soup.
Also, as the original recipe states, cooking the beans in water works, but I’ve often made it with chicken stock if I have it on hand. It produces a full-bodied, flavorful beginning.
Let the soup cook long and slow for several hours until the beans are tender enough to be mashed with the back of a spoon. You want the end result to be an irresistibly creamy concoction. The recipe makes a lot, but it freezes beautifully.
Cuban Black Bean Soup
1 pound dried black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ham bone or smoked ham hock
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup white or cider vinegar
Sour cream, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper (garnish)
The night before, place the beans in a colander and wash them with cold running water, then put them in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them. Soak eight hours or overnight.
When beans have finished soaking, drain the water out of the pot and refill it with beans and enough water (or chicken broth) so that it comes to an inch above the beans. Stir in the chopped onion, pepper and garlic. Add the ham bone or hock, and stir in the olive oil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a generous quantity of freshly ground black pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any white foam, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 4 to 5 hours, until the beans are very soft and the soup is creamy, not watery. Check after 2 hours. If more liquid is needed, add another cup of water or chicken stock. The final consistency should be velvety and thick, and the soup should coat the back of a spoon.
When the soup is nearly finished, stir in the vinegar and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered. Pull the ham bone out of the pot and roughly chop whatever meat is left on the bone, then throw it back in the pot. Garnish with sour cream, onions and peppers, if you want. And for a more filling meal, serve the soup over rice, just as many Cubans prefer.
Makes 8 generous servings. Freeze leftovers, if there are any.
NEW ON THE MENU
I visited the new Merv’s in Soddy-Daisy for dinner recently, hungering for one of the best burgers in town, one I hadn’t experienced in several years. I must say I wasn’t disappointed. Once a burger is topped with cheese and all the trimmings, the meat is often no more than a member of the choir. But when it sings a solo, such as that served at Merv’s, you know you’ve got a winning burger.
New to Merv’s menu are two desserts, a fried apple pie, served a la mode if you like, and Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, a different flavor each night. The caramel cheesecake was amazing.
The atmosphere at this location is family friendly and, at the height of the dinner hour, you can expect a wait. This place is certainly no secret.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.