Bean Soup

Yield: 7 cups

2 cups dried black beans (about 1 pound) or 3 (15-ounce) cans

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 ribs celery, sliced

2 whole cloves

2 teaspoons salt

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

1 hard-cooked egg yolk

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dry mustard

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1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons sherry, optional

7 tablespoons sour cream, optional

1. If using dried beans, soak them in water overnight.

2. Drain beans and rinse in cold water. Add to a large pot with the onion, celery, cloves, salt and sufficient stock to cover the other ingredients by an inch or 2. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft or for 1 hour if using canned beans.

3. Purée in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender (or, if you want to be true to the 1930s, push the beans through a strainer). Add sufficient stock or water to make the consistency of thick cream. Mash the egg yolk with pepper and mustard, and stir into the soup mixture.

4. Mash the flour into the butter with a fork and cook over medium heat in a small skillet or pot until golden brown. Thin with a little stock and stir into the soup. Cook for 5 minutes; if too thick, add water. Add 1 teaspoon sherry or 1 tablespoon sour cream to each bowl just before serving, if desired.