It’s finally fall in Beirut, which mostly means that nobody knows whether they should be wearing a sweater or if it’s going to rain.
It also means nights are suddenly cozy, and curling up with a cup of tea or bowl of soup is preferable.
This evening I’m making black bean soup. Simple and hearty, this soup is extra savory without being too heavy. I like to eat it on its own or with a slice of buttered bread, although it also goes nicely with a light sandwich or salad.
To me black bean soup has always been special. It’s the kind of soup that welcomes the fall and also makes you look forward to the cold, so I normally wouldn’t dream of making any adjustments. The only issue is that the recipe my family has always used, from the Silver Palate Cookbook, calls for some ingredients that are near impossible to find in Beirut.
Ham hocks are the main problem. Borderline indispensable, ham hocks are essential to both the body and flavor of this soup. There is also zero chance you will find them anywhere in Lebanon.
After some research, however, I found that pancetta or lardons will yield a very similar flavor. Add to that a teaspoon of gelatin dissolved in a cup of water and there you have the foundations of a meaty soup with the distinctive stickiness of a bone-based broth.
Then there is the brown sugar. I had some people bring me a couple boxes from New York because the only place I’ve seen it is at Wesley’s Wholesale in Jnah, and who has time for that? Also, I’m not entirely sure that it’s always in stock.
Since brown sugar is basically white sugar mixed with a bit of molasses, it shouldn’t be too difficult to substitute, right? Well, that would be the case except you can’t find the right kind of molasses in Beirut either. So what to do?
I haven’t yet found a perfect solution to this, but for the purposes of this recipe, mixing 1 tsp of carob molasses with 1 cup of white sugar works perfectly fine. If anything it’s better because it adds some nice chocolatey notes.
Black beans can also be a slight issue because they too are sometimes nowhere to be found. I happen to have a bag that my boss gave me after he found them in his closet (desperate times, man.) But you can try your luck at the organic section in most TSCs. It’s a bit pricy at around LL7,000 for 500g, but it’s worth it.
Black Bean Soup
(adapted for Beirut)
Ingredients
450g (about 1lb) black beans, soaked overnight
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ cup diced yellow onions (one large onion)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
100g (3.5oz) pancetta or lardons
1 ½ tsp gelatin
3 liters (12 ½ cups) water, including reserved water from black beans
1 tbsp plus ½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ tbsp dried oregano
2 small bay leaves
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 tbsp plus 2 tbsp chopped parsley
½ medium red bell pepper
1 tbsp spiced rum (I prefer this over dry sherry)
1 ½ tsp brown sugar or ⅛ tsp carob molasses mixed with 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic over low heat until transparent.
2. Add the pancetta or lardons and cook for a minute before adding 1 tbsp cumin, the oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir.
3. Dissolve the gelatin in 1 cup of hot water and set aside.
4. Drain the beans, reserving the water, and add to the pot, stirring to mix.
5. Add all of the water, including what you reserved from the beans and the dissolved gelatin, to the pot. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered on low heat until water has reduced by half, about two hours.
6. Add the remaining parsley, bell pepper, rum, brown sugar, and lemon juice to the pot. Turn the heat up to high for about another half hour, stirring the whole time, until the soup has reached the consistency of a thin stew.
Serves 4-6
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