October is without a doubt one of the finest months during which to spend time in the northern Rockies.
Of course I’m biased as hell about the issue; it has been my pleasure to spend the bulk of the past 25 years or so in the region, much of that time in Montana.
There’s something about the shortening days, the bursts of color pouring from the bank-side cottonwoods along the river, the never-failing-to-surprise glow of the larches in the hills and those first dustings of snow up high that is simply comforting on a deep and visceral level.
October in the neighborhood most often brings to mind dammit-where’s-my-jacket crisp mornings followed by shirt sleeve afternoons, though the past few days in Bozeman with SWMBO have been a bit more like early December with freezing rain, fog and snow.
Driving across northwestern Montana (the Missoula to Coeur d’Alene leg on I90) yesterday, eyeing the much lower than expected snow line in the hills, we chatted about it being time to start cranking through our fall and winter rotation of favorite soups and stews.
This Bacon, Chipotle and Black Bean Soup is a damned simple one (and very good without the bacon for those who choose to abstain) that is one of our most favorite black bean soups in the collection.
Thick and hearty, you can tailor the smokey magic of the chipotles to suit your taste; use a thick-sliced hand cut bacon for the very best flavor.
1 pound black beans, sorted and rinsed
2 quarts water
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
3 medium yellow onions, medium dice
12 ounces thick-sliced bacon, medium dice
2-4 chipotle chiles (in adobo), finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 and 1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup dry sherry
Kosher salt to tasteOptional good stuff: Grated cheese, seeded and chopped tomatoes, rough chopped cilantro
Soak the beans. Place the beans and water in your favorite soup pot, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, cover and let sit for an hour.
Time for some bacon magic. Render the diced bacon until just crisp in a large skillet, remove to drain. Add the sliced and diced celery, carrots and onions, sauté until soft, scraping up all that bacon goodness left in the pan.
Put it on to simmer. To the beans and water add the chipotle chiles, cayenne, nutmeg, yellow mustard, Worcestershire, bacon and the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally over the next three hours (or until the beans are nice and tender). Remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes or so.
Finishing touches. Puree anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 of the soup; leaving a bit ‘un-pureed’ to add some textural interest. Still in the sherry and add salt to taste. Reheat until just simmering.
Serve with a bit of sherry on the side and a plate of piping hot tortillas. Hot damn. SWMBO likes to garnish with a bit of grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and cilantro when company is in the house…
Enjoy.
