Black Bean Soup with Chorizo, Ham, and Bacon

Did you know that Post-It Notes were an accident? Yep, a happy, happy accident. Some chemists (one chemist?) was working on a new glue and by happenstance ended up with the magic stick/un-stick wonder of Post-Its.

This soup is a happy accident for me. It all began because my husband had requested that I make something with chorizo for dinner. The request left me stumped because I have only used chorizoa time or two--I've wanted to use it, but just didn't know all that much about except that it was used in Mexican cooking. So, I went on a Google adventure. I found a recipe on All-Recipes for what was described as Charro beans or "Mexican pork and beans" and which used chorizo. Since it was supposed to be used as a side dish, I was also trying to think of a main dish to fill out the menu. The more I thought about the recipe, the more I thought of it as a main instead of a side.

As I began to assemble the dish I started making changes. Finally it occurred to me that what I was really making was a soup that was hearty enough to be rib sticking and would work really well with a simple side of cornbread. Plus, I could make it in my crockpot. Happy, happy.

Cook's Note: There are several types of Chorizo on the market. Be sure to get Mexican chorizo because it is the right consistency and is seasoned with red chiles.

Black Bean Soup with Chorizo, Ham, and Bacon

Recipe by Terri @ that's some good cookin'; inspired by Charro Beans at Allrecipes
Printable Recipe

• 1 ham steak, about 14-16 ounces weight, medium diced
• 1 (8-10 ounce) package Mexican chorizo (I used ground chorizo, not the link-sausage type of chorizo. If you choose a link-style, be sure to take it out of the casing first.)
• 6 slices bacon, rough chopped
• 1 large onion, medium diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28 ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped fine 
• 2-4 cups chicken stock or broth, amount depending on preferred soup consistency
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• sour cream, optional for garnish
• chopped cilantro, optional for garnish

Directions

1. In a heavy frying pan, cook bacon until fat has rendered and bacon it crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in pan.
2. Add the chorizo, onion, and garlic to the pan along with the 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Cook over medium heat, stirring as needed, until onion is translucent.
3. Put all ingredients into a crock pot (except sour cream and chopped cilantro) and stir to distribute ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for about 6-8 hours.
4. Serve topped with sour cream and chopped cilantro if desired.

Cook's Note: This soup is spicy hot, but the level of heat depends on the how the manufacturer has seasoned the chorizo and also upon the chipotle chile in adobo. Different varieties of chorizo may be seasoned hotter than others. For those you need to cut back on the heat level, don't add the chipotle chile in adobo because it carries quite a bit of heat. Another option is to cut the chile open and remove the seeds prior to chopping the chile; throw the seeds away and just add the remainder of the chopped chile to the soup.

This recipe has been linked to:

• Miz Helen's Country Cottage--Full Plate Thursday
• Foodie Friday 

This recipe was awarded a red plate from Miz Helen as part of her Full Plate Thursday