Reviewer:

Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2008

SO AWESOME! My boyfriend, a picky eater, had me make it TWICE this week. I did the quick-soak method on my beans...1 pound of beans covered with 2 " of water, boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit 1 hour. As others suggested, I left out the 2 c. water when I added the broth and added 1 pound of chopped leftover Thanksgiving ham. Along with the cayanne and cumin, I added 1/2 tsp curry...the other of my favorite "c" spices. I only pureed about 1/2 as others suggested and the texture was perfect. On the balsamic vinegar...which seems to be an issue with other reviewers as well...I only had 1T in the pantry for the first batch. I could barely taste it. I added the 2T called for in the second batch and I thought it was too strong...but my boyfriend loved it. Will probably compromise at 1 1/2T next time. I also added 1T liquid smoke at the end as I LOVE that flavor. Served it with sour cream and green onions and crusty homemade bread. Just great!!! Thanks so much for a WONDERFUL recipe!

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Reviewer:

Big Red

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Lake Wylie, South Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2008

I served this with a lump of steamed rice in the middle of the bowl and with the Best... Grilled Margarita Chicken...Ever! recipe I found on this sight. What an amazing meal. The flavors went so well together. I took the advice of other reviewers and left the water out of the soup. I also only pureed half the soup. I had planned on putting in the vinegar but after tasting it(more than once...it was soooo good!) I just couldn't put it in. It was so amazing without it I would have cried if I didn't like the vinegar flavor added in. My husband couldn't stop raving about how good it was through the entire meal. Thank you!

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Reviewer:

poshlynne

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 15, 2008

This is a GREAT soup recipe, and it received a lot of good comments! Everyone I served it to really did like it a lot! However, I did change the recipe just slightly. I added only 1 T. of balsamic vinegar because, based on other reviewer's comments, I was afraid the 2 T. vinegar would leave a strong taste. After fixing the soup, I found it to be a little bland, so I added sugar, some salt, and some bacon pieces (which I promptly removed after a few minutes. I only wanted a slight smoky flavoring.)

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Reviewer:

C. Williams

Reviewed: Sep. 15, 2008

The flavor was good, but the soup was a little too thick.

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Reviewer:

sweet2th99

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Living In: Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2008

I didn't have sherry, sour cream, or green onion on hand but the soup turned out great.

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Reviewer:

Bakery Girl

Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2008

This recipe turned out fantastic. We had a group of 30 for a party and I made this along with cuban roasted pork and rice. I did vary the recipe a bit by omitting the sherry, cut the vinegar a bit, added more garlic and added oregano and blended only one third of the beans and let it simmer much longer (about another hour or so) to blend the flavors more. Our dominican and cuban guests loved it. Next time I will thicken the broth with a bit of cornstarch (just my own preference).

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Reviewer:

Sirrah

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2008

I really enjoyed this mild and filling soup. I added about double the cayenne and 1/2 tsp ground curry, and used all chicken broth instead of water and broth...the soup is quite liquidy for a pureed soup, so if I make again I'll reduce to just the amount of broth called for and add no other liquid. the dollup of sour cream adds a nice, surprising tang (but my hubby didn't like it as well as just the plain soup.)

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