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BLACK BEAN SOUP

See also Article on Beans

• Olive oil, as needed
• One and a quarter pounds of onion, chopped
• Four poblano peppers, chopped
• Two long hot peppers or four jalapenos, chopped
• Four tablespoons chopped garlic
• Quarter cup, (2 oz.), tomato paste
• Four tablespoons cumin
• Four tablespoons chile powder
• Two tablespoons paprika
• Two tablespoons coriander
• One gallon beef or veal stock
• Two large cans (1 lb. 13 oz.) and four small cans (15.5 oz) Goya black beans.
• Salt and pepper to taste


     Sauté the onions and peppers in the olive oil until they start to get soft.  Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, chile powder, paprika, and coriander and sauté three minutes more.  Add stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.  Puree the two large cans and one small can of beans, including the liquid, in a blender in batches, and add to the soup.  Drain the excess liquid from the three leftover small cans of beans and add them whole to the soup.  Simmer for a half hour uncovered.  Taste the soup and then add the desired amount of salt and pepper. 

     As usual, let’s discuss the ingredients.  This recipe will produce a fairly hot (taste not temperature) soup.  To cut down the heat, you can replace the long hot peppers or jalapenos with poblano or bell peppers.  Poblano peppers are similar to bell peppers but are less sweet with only a smidgen of heat.  I think they work better in spicy dishes.  If your supermarket does not carry them you can use bell peppers.  The long hot peppers and jalapenos can be found in all supermarkets. 

     Notice the recipe calls for CHILE not CHILI powder.  Chile (with an “e”) powder is ground chile peppers and is hot.  Chili (with an “i”) powder is a mixture of ground chile powder and other spices such as cumin, coriander, garlic, etc.  Chili powder can always be found in the spice section of any supermarket.  Chile powder is more elusive.  Use Chili powder if you can’t find the real thing or want to cut the heat level a bit.  Since it’s a mixture of spices, it is usually less hot than chile powder which is solely ground chile peppers.  To make your own chile powder, buy a large number of hot peppers.  Place them in your oven on aluminum foil or a sheet tray at 200 degrees when you get home from work and leave them in overnight.  In the morning they should be dry enough to grind in a spice mill. 

     Note that the recipe calls for stock and not water.  Stock will give the soup greater body and depth of flavor.  However, you can certainly use water.  This is a very flavorful soup so the difference will not be drastic.  Use water if you want a lighter soup, are counting calories, or do not have the time to make a pot of stock.