My second magazine test recipe was this soup. I’m not sure how this recipe testing thing will work out, because there isn’t a lot of turnaround time, and I don’t usually have the time or energy to cook during the week. I made the beans for the soup yesterday, which made the effort much less. The beans by themselves were very good, smoky from a bit of ham steak. The soup was also very good, and we ate leftovers during the week. I like it with a bit of sour cream on top.

• Black Bean Soup (Test Recipe)