Name: Black Bean "Cassoulet" Soup
Ingredients: 2 lb Dried black (turtle) beans; 1 1/4 c Best-quality olive oil; 3 c Diced yellow onions; 12 Cloves garlic, crushed; 1 Very meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks; 8 qt Water; 3 1/2 tb Ground cumin; 2 tb Dried oregano; 3 Bay leaves; 1 tb Coarse (kosher) salt; 1 tb Freshly ground black pepper; 1 pn Cayenne pepper; 8 tb Chopped fresh Italian parsley; 1 3/4 To 2 pounds fresh garlic sausage; 6 Sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces; 6 Hot Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 lb Bratwurst, cut into 1-inch pieces; 3 Medium-size sweet red peppers, cored, seeded, and diced; 1/4 c Dry sherry; 3 tb Dark brown sugar; 2 tb Fresh lemon juice

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Vegetables, Grains, Meats	Italian	Soups, Vegetables	16	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2	lb	Dried black (turtle) beans
1 1/4	c	Best-quality olive oil
3	c	Diced yellow onions
12		Cloves garlic, crushed
1		Very meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
8	qt	Water
3 1/2	tb	Ground cumin
2	tb	Dried oregano
3		Bay leaves
1	tb	Coarse (kosher) salt
1	tb	Freshly ground black pepper
1	pn	Cayenne pepper
8	tb	Chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 3/4		To 2 pounds fresh garlic sausage
6		Sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
6		Hot Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1	lb	Bratwurst, cut into 1-inch pieces
3		Medium-size sweet red peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4	c	Dry sherry
3	tb	Dark brown sugar
2	tb	Fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

From The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.
" Our black bean soup is a Silver Palate staple.  In this recipe we've
dressed it up with lots of hot and garlicky sausages, sweet red peppers, a
bit of brown sugar, and unusual spices. This makes a meal when served with
a crisp, tart green salad."
Sour cream
1.  Soak the black beans in water to cover overnight.
2.  Heat 1 cup of the oil in a large heavy stock pot over low heat. Add the
onions and garlic and saute until the onions are limp, about 10 minutes.
3.  Drain and rinse the beans and add to the stock pot. Add the ham bone
and 6 quarts of the water. Stir in the cumin, oregano, bay leaves, salt,
pepper, cayenne, and 3 tablespoons of the parsely. Heat to boiling. Reduce
heat to medium and cook uncovered at a slow rolling boil for 2 hours,
skimming foam from the top and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
4.  Place the garlic sausage in a medium-size saucepan and add the
remaining 2 quarts water.  Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer
for 40 minutes. Drain. Remove casings and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
5.  Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy skillet over medium
heat.  Add the Italian sausages and saute until browned. Remove the
sausages with a slotted spoon.
6.  In the same skillet, saute the bratwurst until browned. Remove with a
slotted spoon.
7.  After 2 hours of cooking, process 2 cups of the beans in a food
processor fitted with a steel blade until smooth and return to the pot.
Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
8.  Add all the sausages and the red peppers and cook for another 30
minutes.
9.  Remove the ham bone from the soup, shred the meat and return to the
pot.  Stir in the sherry, sugar, and lemon juice.
10.  Cook over medium heat until the beans are very soft and the soup is
thick, 30 to 45 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 5 tablespoons chopped
parsley.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
11.  Ladle the soup into soup bowls and dollop each serving with sour
cream.
Makes 16 portions.
Posted by Kyosho Connick. Courtesy of Fred Peters.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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