1 jim vorheis
1 lb dry black beans
1 1/2 lb smoked ham hock
1 1/2 qt water
1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions
In large kettle, combine beans, ham hock and water. Heat to boiling,
reduce heat and simmer covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir frequently
and add more water if necessary to cover beans. To test for doneness,
remove a few beans from kettle with a slotted spoon and blow on them.
Skins will pop open when beans are cooked. Remove ham hock. Chop meat
from bones, discarding fat and bones. Add meat to soup. Stir in
minced onion, paprika, cayenne pepper, green pepper, chili powder,
salt and cumin. cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove 3/4 of soup and
puree in blender or processor. Stir puree back into remaining beans.
If necessary, add water or chicken broth to obtain desired thickness.
Serve with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, minced chives
or chopped eggs.
Creme de Colorado Cookbook (1987) From the collection of Jim Vorheis
Servings: 8 servings
Cajun Black Bean Soup Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Cajun; Soup; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
It is possible to follow the history of written recipes back into history, at least as far into history as the Egyptians, and maybe even further. In practice though, mostly, these ancient cook books were just basic hieroglyphic recipes for preparing food.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to food historians is a collection of ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel `blissful`. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some scripts showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius recounts how the roman meals were split into starters, main course and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius tells us how the ancient Romans made use of many different herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks like thyme, mint and dill. Later on, we have a couple of books which date from the 14th Century - a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, they are not about the curry that appears on menues today, but instead recipes for the types of food enjoyed by the rich and powerful of the time. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of spices and herbs from middle-east cuisine, such as coriander, basil and rosemary. These new foods and spices was responsible for a torrent in manuscripts on cooking, some of which are kept safe in private libraries. For the centuries that followed, the rich families of Europe strove to serve the most exotic meals, and because of this cooks and their recipes were at a premium. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that cooking and recipe publications became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. By the time we get to the 20th century, recipe books were greatly in demand mostly due to higher levels of literacy, more free time and having more money to spend. The introduction of the TV brought us TV chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Cajun Black Bean Soup recipe.
