Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Chiles | America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans (2 cups), rinsed and picked over
• 4 ounces ham steak, trimmed of rind
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups water
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped fine (about 3 cups)
• 1 large carrot, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
• 3 ribs celery, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 5 - 6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 tablespoon)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 to 2 limes
• Lime wedges (optional)
• Minched fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
• Red onion, finely diced (optional)
• Avocado, diced medium (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)