Jacques Pepin's Black Bean Soup

I don't have cable anymore, which sadly means I don't get Food Network. Luckily, IPB has a channel called Create that features many amazing cooking shows. One of my favorite chefs on Create is Jacques Pepin. He's wonderful. I was absolutely thrilled when I found one of his cookbooks at the used bookstore I frequent.
Shortly after purchasing the cookbook, hubby requested black bean soup. Lo and behold, the cookbook had one. Score! I've always had black bean dishes in a spicy context, so I approached the recipe with some trepidation. Hubby likes spicy, so I feared he would reject this Frenchman's soup.
My fear was misplaced. Hubby and I both enjoyed the soup. It's versatile, which is always a good thing in my book.

Black Bean Soup
(Jacques Pepins Kitchen: Cooking with Claudine pg 240-241)

• 1 lb dried black beans
• 3 quarts cool water
• 1/2 cup brown rice (I used basmati as that's all I had)
• 8 oz pancetta or very lean, unsmoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I forgot this)
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp herbes de Provence
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (I substituted with apple cider vinegar)
• 1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (I used a similar hot sauce)

Remove and discard any debris or damaged beans, and wash the remaining beans well in cool water. Drain beans, place in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak overnight or for 12 hours.

Drain the beans and place in a large pot with 3 quarts of cool water. Add rice and pancetta. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes; stir occasionally. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add onions, garlic, herbes de Provence, chili powder, tomatoes, and salt to the pot, then stir well. Bring to a boil. reduce heat to very low, cover, and cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours.

Using a hand bledner, emulsify the mixture in the pot for 5 to 10 seconds. Alternatively, you may remove 2 cups of the mixture and puree it in a food processor, returning it to the pot. You want to thicken the soup a bit, but preserve its chunkiness. (I omitted this step)

In a small bowl, mox together the oil, vinegar, and Tabasco. Add to the soup.

Note: This makes a good deal of soup, so you can freeze half for later use.
Note 2: If you feel the soup is a tad bland, try adding a bit more salt. Since I didn't use bacon or pancetta, at first my soup lacked.. After adding a smidgeon more salt, it was SO much better.