Mexican Black Bean Soup

• 2 cups dried black beans
• 8 cups water
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• Salt to taste (smoked, if possible)
• 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• 4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/8-inch-wide strips and fried until crisp, or 1/3 cup corn chips, crumbled into large pieces, for garnish

1. Thoroughly wash the beans and place them, along with the water and onion, in the slow cooker insert.
2. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.
3. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree some of the beans to thicken the soup.
4. (How much you puree depends on how much texture youd like remaining in the soup.)
5. Add salt to taste, then ladle into bowls.
6. Top each serving with some crumbled cheese, a sprinkle of cilantro, and some tortilla strips.
7. This is a relatively mild dish, so Id choose a chilled, medium-bodied white wine, perhaps with a little spice.
8. A Gewurztraminer or even an off-dry Muscat Canelli would work well.
9. A beer would do nicely, too.

black beans, water, white onion, salt, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, corn tortillas

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mexican-black-bean-soup-379701 (may not work)