Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup diced carrots
• ½ cup diced onions
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 cup broccoli stems, peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon tabasco sauce (i like cholula)
• 1 cup diced smoked chicken
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 cups heavy cream
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with a small amount of warm water (optional)

Procedures

1. In ¼ cup butter, saute carrots, onion, celery and broccoli stems for 5 minutes.
2. Add thyme, oregano and basil; saute 5 minutes more.
3. Add wine and deglaze pan.
4. Add hot chicken stock and reduce by one-third.
5. Add Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, smoked chicken, beans and broccoli florets; simmer 5 minutes.
6. Add cream, simmer 5 minutes more and season to taste (thicken with cornstarch if desired).
7. Drop in remaining butter, piece by piece, stirring until melted and serve immediately.

Smoked chicken

1. On a covered grill, slightly smoke boneless chicken, cooking to medium rare (about 30 minutes).
2. Chef Meskan uses applewood chips and does not allow the grill to become too hot.