Black Bean And Bacon Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 -8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 -2 serrano peppers (optional) or 1 -2 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup green onion, finely sliced

Preparation

Saute onions, celery, carrots, peppers and garlic in bacon drippings in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until crisp-tender.
Stir in beans, broth and cayenne. Simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally.
Pour soup into food processor or blender container; cover. Process until pureed. (I use an immersion blender, so I puree right in the saucepan.) Return soup to saucepan.
Stir in bacon; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Garnish with green onions if desired.