Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

I have made this soup for years, sometimes with the ham, sometimes without, only a few times with the sherry vinegar. I usually only make half the recipe but you could make the full one for a large group or freeze the remainder.

Original recipe: Gourmet, November 1996

Yield: 9 cups

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Ingredients

For the soup:

3 15 oz cans black beans rinsed and drained Or cook them yourself in your pressure cooker
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 ¼ cup onion, chopped
½ cup minced shallot I’ve used all onion if no shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup butter I usually use less
4 cups beef or other broth
1 16 oz can pumpkin puree Or I use pre-cooked winter squash
½ cup dry sherry Don’t skip this ingredient unless avoiding alcohol
½ lb ham cut in 1/8 in dice Can skip if vegetarian
3-4 Tbsp sherry vinegar I have used other vinegars because sherry vinegar is a little hard to find

Garnish:

sour cream
coarsely chopped and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes. Leave some aside if you like a more chunky style soup.
In a 6 qt. heavy-bottomed pan (I like cast iron)cook the onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in butter over medium heat until onion is softened and beginning to brown.
Stir in bean/tomato puree, followed by broth, pumpkin and sherry.
Simmer uncovered, with occasional stirring for25 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Just before serving add ham and vinegar totaste, simmer again until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve with sour cream and pumpkin seeds.