INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound (2 cups) dry Black Beans, soaked
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- Rind and bone from a smoked ham
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-1/2 teaspoons slat
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry Madeira
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 (16-ounce) carton sour cream
PREPERATION
- Drain beans, add 8 cups of cold water and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
- Melt the butter in a heavy kettle.
- Add the celery and onions and sauté until tender but not browned.
- Blend in the flour and cook the mixture, stirring, for one minute.
- Add the parsley, the beans and cooking liquid, the ham rind and bone, bay leaves, salt and pepper; cover and simmer for 3 hours.
- Discard the ham bone and rind, but keep any bits of meat.
- Put the soup through a sieve or food mill, or purée in a blender. Add the wine and vinegar. Reheat the soup, stir in the sour cream, but do not let the soup come to a boil.
Optional: The soup may be garnished with sour cream, minced raw onion, chopped hard-cooked egg, or tangerine sections.