Today, I decided that I need music and soup to fortify me for the next seven days. For the next seven days, I work ten-hour shifts. Also, NaNoWriMo starts in five days. I have two pieces to write for paper, and who knows what else will come up in meantime.

So Wilson Pickett is singing In The Midnight Hour as I type this. (It's the live version that he did in Watts in 1965, two days before the Watts riots. As he's singing, you can hear the crowd going crazy -- egged on by a radio guy named The Magnificent Montague screaming "Burn, Baby Burn!" over and over. Watts was on fire not long after, and frankly, the whole thing is spooky.)

There's also soup on the stove: Black Bean Soup.

To make it, you soak:

1 pound of dried black turtle beans in at least three quarts of water overnight.

Bring the water to a boil (some folks say to strain the beans so the broth isn't so dark, but I say keep it that way it is. But you do what you think is best.)

Throw in a bunch of ham. (I had some in the freezer from a dinner I made last week. I put the big chunk right in there, with the idea of cutting it up later.)

Simmer the beans and ham for about an hour. As they simmer, cut up some veggies. I use:

1 1/2 cups of carrots
1 cup celery
1 onion
1 large red potato
2 cloves of garlic

Dice them up and put them in a microwave-safe dish. I use a two-quart cassarole with a tight cover. Add about 1/4 cup water and cook on high for about 6 minutes.
Take the ham out of the soup and let it cool for a few minutes.

Add about a cup chicken broth or stock to the beans, then add about a quart of water. You want this recipe to be about 4 quarts of soup once everything is said and done.

Season the soup with about 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

Cut up the ham and return it to the soup. You'll notice that the outside of the ham is really dark -- almost black -- from being in the water with the beans. This is why I cut it up now, instead of at the beginning. I like my ham to look like ham, and not little lumps of coal.

The same with the veggies. I like my soups to be hearty and colorful. That's why I microwaved the veggies enough to cook them, and will add them to the soup a few minutes before I serve it.

So, five minutes before you serve the soup, add the veggies and keep the heat on. Also, correct the seasonings. I deliberately under-season the soup at first, so the flavors have time to blend and mellow.

Adding a dash or two of cumin and pepper just before serving will bring the flavors to the front. A touch of garlic wouldn't kill anyone, either.

Serve this with some cornbread, if you want. We just had cornbread a couple of days ago, so we're having just plain ol' crackers.

And of course, Beano