Black Bean and Vegetable soup

1/2 lb black beans
2 strips of bacon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
3 ribs of celery
2 carrots
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of celery seeds
Hot sauce (I like Cholula)
Chopped cilantro

Pick over the beans and put them in a pan along with twice their volume of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for two minutes, then leave them uncovered to soak for two hours. Alternatively you can just soak the beans overnight.

Chop the onions, celery and carrot.

Brown the bacon in a dutch oven. When it is browned remove it and drain on paper towels. Drain the bacon fat out of the pan but don't clean the pan.

Add the olive oil and heat the pan just until it starts to smoke. Throw in the aromatics and sweat them. Add the tomato paste and seeds and cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the soaked beans and and the peeled whole garlic and add them to the pot. Add fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot and put it in a 225° oven for four hours.

When the beans are easy to smooch between your fingers it is done. You can boil it down or add a little water if needed. Smash the garlic so it disintegrates into the soup.

Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and crumbled bacon and serve with the hot sauce on the side.

This recipe is highly variable! You can throw in leftover meat or veggies, hot peppers, spinach, a poached egg, etc.