"George'S At The Cove" Black Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup broccoli stem, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock, hot
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I like Cholula)
1 cup diced smoked chicken (recipe follows)
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup broccoli floret
2 cups heavy cream
salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with a small amount of warm water (optional)

Preparation

In 1/4 cup butter, saute carrots, onion, celery and broccoli stems for 5 minutes.
Add thyme, oregano and basil; saute 5 minutes more.
Add wine and deglaze pan.
Add hot chicken stock and reduce by one-third.
Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, smoked chicken, beans and broccoli florets; simmer 5 minutes.
Add cream, simmer 5 minutes more and season to taste (thicken with cornstarch if desired).
Drop in remaining butter, piece by piece, stirring until melted and serve immediately.
Smoked Chicken: On a covered grill, slightly smoke boneless chicken, cooking to medium rare (about 30 minutes).
Chef Meskan uses applewood chips and does not allow the grill to become too hot.