1 pound dry black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 ham hocks
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped (see note)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup cooking sherry
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Rinse beans, drain and
pick over. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to
a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand,
covered, for 1 hour. Drain.
While beans are soaking,
heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and heat until
hot, but not smoking. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and
sauté until tender and golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Set aside.
Return beans to pot, along
with sautéed vegetables, chicken broth, ham hocks, jalapeño
and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1½
hours, or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Remove
ham hocks from pot and pull meat from bones when cool enough
to handle. Drain beans and reserve cooking liquid. Purée
beans and vegetables in a food processor or blender. Return to
pot, along with ham, cooking sherry and lime juice. Add enough
cooking liquid until desired consistency is reached. Heat over
medium-low heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Serve
warm.
Makes 8 servings.
Note: Working with jalapeños
or other chiles: Capsaicin is the ingredient in chiles that causes
the burning sensation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good
idea to use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable
surgical gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for
this.) If you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful
not to touch any part of your body, especially your eyes. After
you've finished handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting
board with hot soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over
to other foods that may come in contact with the peppers.
