Black Bean Soup
Silky, deeply savory black bean soup finished with a beurre manié and brightened tableside with hard-boiled egg and fresh lemon — Fannie Farmer's 1896 classic, updated for the modern kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 lbdried black beans(soaked overnight, drained)
- 2 quartscold water(plus more as needed)
- 1 mediumyellow onion(thinly sliced)
- 2celery stalks(roughly broken or cut)
- 3 tbspunsalted butter(divided)
- 1 ½ tbspall-purpose flour
- 1 tspfine salt(plus more to taste)
- ¼ tspblack pepper
- ¼ tspdry mustard
- ⅛ tspcayenne pepper
- 2hard-boiled eggs(thinly sliced)
- 1lemon(thinly sliced, seeds removed)
Method
- 01
Soak the 1 lb dried black beans in cold water overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain and rinse well before using.
- 02
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt 1 ½ tbsp of the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the 1 medium yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
- 03
Add the drained black beans, 2 quarts cold water, and 2 celery stalks to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- 04
Simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the black beans are completely tender and beginning to fall apart. Add water in 1 cup increments if the level drops below the beans.
- 05
Remove and discard the celery stalks. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the pot until very smooth, or work in batches through a standard blender. For an ultra-silky result, pass through a fine-mesh strainer.
- 06
Return the puréed soup to the pot over medium heat and bring back to a gentle simmer.
- 07
In a small bowl, mash together the remaining 1 ½ tbsp unsalted butter and 1 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour with a fork until a smooth paste forms — this is your beurre manié.
- 08
Whisk the beurre manié into the simmering soup a little at a time, allowing each addition to dissolve before adding more. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the soup is lightly thickened and the flour taste is cooked out.
- 09
Stir in the 1 tsp fine salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp dry mustard, and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 10
Arrange the sliced hard-boiled eggs and lemon slices in the bottoms of warmed bowls. Ladle the hot soup directly over them and serve immediately.
Adapted from public domain & community sources