Black Bean Soup

What!?! A recipe? When was the last time Keilholtz posted a recipe? Rants? Oh yeah, plenty of rants, and he hasn't even started in on serious Oakland mayoral race ranting, but a Recipe? A bonafide, put the possum in the pot and stir it real nice recipe?

You got it, bub.

We inherited a ham bone. Not a great ham bone, but a good ham bone. It needed a good home after I had carved off all the meat I could, and Melanie has been after me to make a black bean soup. 2 + 2. Ah, yes, four, old man, four.

Into the slow cooker went the beans, concentrated lamb stock (the last of my Easter feast, alas), a couple of bay leaves, the bone, finely chopped ham fat, fresh thyme, dried Mexican oregano, allspice, pepper, half a Niman Ranch boneless Black Forest Ham that I had hurredly put in the freezer before going out of town (there is a special part of Hell reserved for people who let those hams spoil), and a puree of a small onion and three green garlics that I had sweated for ten minutes with olive oil, water and white wine vinegar.

After the thing had been simmering all night and most of the day, I pureed the soup, hand chopped the meat, seasoned with Worcestershire Sauce, balsamico, and white wine vinegar, added a pinch of pimenton agridulce, salted to taste, and served with a dollop of guacamole (should have used avocado cream), chopped cilantro, and imaginary pecorino sarde (alas, I had none, so just had to imagine it).

Yum.