Corned Beef & Black Bean

I got this recipe from Cooking.com and made a few changes to it. I'm on their emailing list and get an appealing recipe about 25% of the time.

This soup was real hit at work this week! It was pretty easy to make, about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most challenging. This is also a surprisingly light soup even with the corned beef. Maybe my favorite aspect of this soup is the beautiful colors! Black bean, Yellow corn, Red bell peppers, Green jalapenos and cilantro, and the Orange carrots makes it nearly a ROYGBIV in a bowl.

A couple of shopping and prep tips:

• When buying the corned beef be sure you buy from a service deli counter. Look for it to be sliced from a bottom or top round cut which will be leaner than if it is from a brisket. It should look like the piece pictured here. The brisket cut is what you see in the meat case around St. Patrick's Day. You want the leaner bottom round cut so the fat doesn't make the soup too heavy. Have your slices between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Be picky with your meat! I always have been.
• For a great way to slice up the bell pepper check out this tip http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/11/11/how-to-cut-a-bell-pepper-the-easy-way/. 
• When you prep the jalapeno be sure to wear rubber gloves and don't ever, no not ever, touch any body part before removing the gloves. 

• If you have a Trader Joe's in your area be sure you buy the canned yellow corn from there. It is the best canned corn you'll ever buy, I like it much better than any frozen corn I've had and it is darn near as good as fresh off the cob. I know it is just canned corn but I'm huge on this one. 
• When you drain and rinse the black beans be sure you do it in the sink, I made a black mess when I missed.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 1 onion, chopped, yellow, red, white, doesn't matter
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced diagonally, about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 celery stalks, sliced about 1/4 inch thick, up to and including the leaves, they add great flavor
• 1 red bell pepper, diced, see the note above for prep tip
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups of water
• 1 quart of chicken stock (Costco's house brand is good and a good value)
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (15 or 19 ounces, doesn't matter)
• 1 can of Trader Joe's yellow corn if possible, if not available just make do with the big green guy or store brand
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced, seeds, rib and stem removed. See the note above before messing with the jalapeno
• 1/2 pound of deli sliced corned beef, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. See note above about shopping for the corned beef
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. You can use Italian parsley if you don't care for cilantro, but I can't imagine why

METHOD

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onions begin to soften, no longer than 10 minutes.
4. Add the water, broth, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender but still firm, don't overcook!!! Nothing worse than mushy veggies. No longer than 8 minutes.
7. Stir in the beans, corn, and jalapeno.
8. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
9. Remove the pot from the heat and add the corned beef, vinegar and cilantro. Stir and allow the last 3 ingredients to warm, about 5 minutes
10. Serve.

If you make the soup ahead of time, wait to stir in the corned beef, vinegar, and cilantro until you're ready to serve. Otherwise, the corned beef will leach into the broth, the vinegar will lose its bite and the cilantro will turn brown, an ugly brown.