Black Bean Soup
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Recipe Intro From lisathompson
There are little recipes I love cooking more than a pot of beans from scratch. Rancho Gordo brand is my first choice, but you can use any dried black beans that are available to you, just make sure it's not an old dusty bag from the back of the grocery store shelf! This recipe gets a punch of flavor from roasted tomatillos, peppers, garlic, and scallions and a bit of chile powder for heat. Serve it straight-up into bowls for an easy homemade dinner, or go all out and zhuzh it up with some sour cream (dairy-free if necessary), thinly sliced hot peppers, and some toasted pepitas for crunch. I serve mine with tortilla chips!
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Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans (I love Midnight Black Beans), soaked overnight
- 1 1/2 quarts water
- 3/4 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and 3/4" diced
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced into 1/2" pieces
- 1 poblano or green bell pepper, seeded and 3/4" diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 -4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (use 2 cups if you prefer a thick soup)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
Method
Step 1
Drain soaked black beans, if desired, and add to a large pot with 1 ½ quarts water. (Note: I cook my beans in the water used for soaking, just measure it and make sure there is 1 ½ quarts water to cook the beans in.) Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until a few beans from the pot are tender. The water level should reduce to just above the beans.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat broiler to high.
Step 3
Arrange tomatillos, scallions, pepper, and garlic cloves in an even layer on a small sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and cumin seeds. Broil for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
Step 4
Stir in tomatillo mixture, stock, bay leaves, chile powder, and cornmeal to black beans and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Step 5
Remove 3-4 big ladlefuls of soup and puree until smooth with a blender, then stir back into the pot. (This step is optional, but gives body to the soup while maintaining some nice texture.)
Step 6
Serve in bowls with toppings, if desired.