The Whole Hog: Black Bean Soup with Ham in Coke Stock

As I wrote in an earlier post, by the end of Easter week the hambone was clinging modestly to its last morsels of pink. It was time to make the famous Ham and Coke soup!

My thoughts were that the sweetness of the coke mixed with the salty ham would be a bit like the classic Brazilian stew Feijoada, which combines black beans with smoked beef, orange juice and other sausages and meats. Therefore, I spiced it accordingly; cumin, carrots, onion.... It certainly needed no salt! I used just one pound of beans, and when the soup was done, although truly delicious, I needed to add more beans to balance the flavors. The recipe I have given corrects for this.


Ham and Coke Black Bean Soup

For Soup:
Leftover Stock from Ham in Coke, strained
(4 quarts or more - if you don't have enough, add some water)
2 pounds dried organic black beans, soaked overnight and then drained
1 small piece of ham fat
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
4 large carrots, washed and chopped
2 tsp ground cumin

For Garnish:
Whole milk Greek yoghurt or sour cream
Fresh lime wedges
Fresh cilantro sprigs

After you have strained out any unwanted solids from your stock, combine the stock with the soaked, drained black beans in an eight quart stock pot. Add the ham bone, and bring to the boil over high heat; then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, heat the ham fat over medium high heat in a large, cast iron skillet until it gives up enough fat in which to cook. Add the onions and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions, stirring frequently, until they are wilted. Add the carrots, and, stirring frequently, cook until they are just barely tender and beginning to turn color. Stir in the cumin and cook until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion/carrot mixture to the stock/bean mix. Deglaze the pan with a ladle-full of stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the rest of the cumin and any tasty bits that have formed in the frying pan, and add them to the stock pot, too.

As the beans become tender and the soup nears readiness, take out the ham bone and any big pieces of ham that have fallen off. When they are cool enough to handle, remove any meat from the bone and chop the meat into nice little chunks, 1/4-1/2" in diameter, to your taste. Add them and any other tasty bits back into the soup pot. Save the bones for a doggie friend.

Serve, garnished with a nice big dollop of Greek yoghurt, lots of fresh cilantro leaves, and wedges of lime.

Delicious with - of course - corn muffins! A nice ale or a Rhone-style red wine on the side.... You can choose the vegetable course!

Bon Appetit!