Chompy-Chomp Black Bean Soup
(Adopted/Adapted from David Ansel's
The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soups)
Except, it's not actually slow or difficult
This is a pretty simple one, and it can get as fancy as you want it, or not if you are looking for a quick lunch. Especially nice for cold weather since it's thick and rich. This recipe is theoretically serves 4, but in my family that usually equates to two, so I double it. Extras freeze well for you single folks.
Ingredients:
2 Tbs vegetable/olive oil
1 medium sized yellow/white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 15oz can of diced tomatoe
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained
salt
Directions:
Coat bottom of soup pot with oil and saute onion and garlic on medium high for about 5-10 min.
Add cumin and cayenne and stir in until blended, you should be smelling it very strongly at this point.
Add the tomatoes WITH juices and black beans and bring to a strong simmer...I like to let it just sit for about 20 min.
Now, here is where you can make it fancy...you have a few options at this point... 1. eat as is, which if you diced the garilc/onions well should be good. 2. If you have an immersion blender (handheld) or just a regular old blender, you can puree a portion to give the soup a thicker texture. 3. Puree the whole soup to make it reaaallly smooth (my favorite)
If you like things spicy and are trying to chase away the winter cold, try subsituting half of the vegetable oil with some chilli oil and/or add more cayenne. What's nice about this is that the portions do not need to be exact, play with it to enhance the flavors you like best.
Serve hot with some creme fresh or sour creme, diced onions, chives or cheese. Enjoy!