Kidney Bean Soup

This a very hearty soup with a nice intense flavor. In Argentina they call beans porotos, and kidney beans are called porotos colorados. This is also good with black beans or limas, which are called porotos de manteca, or butter beans. Argentines don't eat many beans, for two reasons - they are associated with the indigenous peoples and poverty, and also because of that "musical fruit" thing. We know that the more frequently you eat beans the less musical you get, and beans are slowly becoming more "sophisticated" here.  

For the stock:

100 - 200 g. bacon Panceta salada (or ahumada), chopped in small pieces
1 lb. - Kidney beans cooked, with the cooking liquid (see below)
1 - Large yellow onion, chopped
2 - cloves garlic, chopped (more to taste)
2 - stalks celery with plenty of leaves, chopped
2 - fresh jalapenos, minced, more to taste
1 T - ground cumin
1 T - oregano
plenty of black pepper
1 Can chopped tomatoes
Boiling water

Soup Ingredients

1.5 lb boiling potatoes, cubed
3 - 4 carrots, chopped
Fresh corn kernels cut from 3 - 4 ears (or frozen if you will settle for less
1/2 head cabbage
Chopped cilantro

- Put the bacon in the cold soup pot, turn the heat on medium-low, and cook the bacon until it is brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels.

-Pour out all the bacon grease, leaving a tiny bit with the brown bits in the pot. Add a bit of olive oil if necessary.
-Saute the onion, garlic, celery and jalapenos until tender, adding the cumin and oregano and pepper at some point.
- Add the can of chopped tomatoes and stir.
- Add the beans with their cooking liquid and enough boiling water to make the amount of soup you want. You should have at least 4 quarts total by now, maybe more.
- Cook until all the vegetables are very tender and the onion almost disappears, at least 20 - 30 minutes.
- Using one of those stick blenders, liquefy the whole mixture in the pot until you get a smooth soup.
- Add all the remaining soup ingredients, along with the cooked bacon, and simmer slowly until the veggies are tender to your taste. Add some salt if you like.
- Serve and sprinkle cilantro on top. Have plenty of crackers on the table.


TO COOK THE BEANS
Either soak overnight in plenty of water, or do a quick soak by bringing them to a boil, turning off the heat, and letting them sit for an hour or two. Change the water, add a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of garlic cut in half, and two bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Add some salt the last 15 minutes or so. Remove the bay leaves but DO NOT DRAIN.

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