Fall is my favorite season of the year. One reason is that the colder temperatures make me want to make a lot of soups and stews. Back in Mexico they are eaten all year long no matter the season. At my parents’ fonda soups and chicken consomé were always part of the menu and no matter how hot it was people always ordered them. But here in Ohio it seems like I am only in the mood to make them and eat them when it gets colder. So here’s another soup that I made this week and was a big hit. It was just delicious!
Black bean and chorizo soup
The ingredients:
- 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups cooked black beans with broth plus chicken or vegetable broth, if necessary (see below for notes)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh epazote
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mexican oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- panela cheese and avocado for garnish
The how-to:
- Peel the casing off the chorizo and cook it in a medium size pot until brown. Saute onion and garlic in the chorizo fat.
- Add black beans to the pot and, if necessary, add broth until you get the desire consistency.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
- Add epazote, cumin and oregano. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Season to taste.
- Cut cheese and avocado in small cubes and serve on top for garnish.
The afterthoughts:
- I cook my own beans so for this soup I cleaned about 3 cups of dried beans, soaked them overnight, rinsed them and cooked them with twice as much water to obtain a lot of broth for the soup.
- If you can’t find epazote, you can substitute with cilantro, however the taste is not the same. Epazote works a lot better.
- Queso panela might be bought at a Mexican market, but it can be substituted with fresh cheese. Alternatively you can add chunks of cheese to the soup while it is simmering, about 5 minutes before you turn of the heat. The cheese will acquire a very soft texture.
- You might add a jalapeno pepper to make this soup spicy. However, some chorizos are already spiced up so be careful on the amount of pepper you use.
¡Buen provecho!
This is my entry for My Legume Love Affair #17, created by Susan of the Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Sra of When my Soup Came Alive.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Another great looking soup! I really like using black beans in soups like this.
Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 8:51 am
That is the best looking black bean soup I've ever seen. I love the finishing touches you added of the cheese and avocado. I'm going to tweet this so others can enjoy it. Great job, Ben!
Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
This looks awesome and makes me truly excited for the chicken tortilla soup that is on our menu for tomorrow night. The recipe is from Rick Bayless, and it is heaven in a bowl. I think I'll have to have a go at your black bean soup recipe as well! Thanks for the inspiration.
Best,
Casey
http://www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
P.S. I didn't see a poll, but I use free photography editing software because I am CHEAP! (picnik.com)
Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Yumm I love chorizo and this looks awesome!!
Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I am a huge fan of beans and chorizo!!!! What a combo, Ben!
Posted on October 26th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Hola Chico. What a delicious looking soup. I've never been much into black beans, but I bet you that if I make it with pinto beans it might be tasty too. What do you think?
Posted on October 26th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
This looks and sounds amazing! The avocado is a surprise!
Posted on October 26th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
looks awesome – I make a black bean and sausage soup too. I should try it with chorizo sometime.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 3:49 am
I don't see a poll, but I use Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate for most of my photography. Its under $100 bux and very versatile.
http://www.flickr.com/nsaum
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
This looks so delicious!
Posted on October 28th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I must try it with black beans next time! looks good.
I made some with butter beans a while back, have a look
http://3hungrytummies.blogspot.com/2009/10/choriz...
Posted on October 30th, 2009 at 1:33 am
[...] last, but not least, Black Bean + Chorizo Soup from Ben at What’s Cooking? This is about the best black bean soup recipe I’ve ever [...]
Posted on October 31st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Hi Ben, thanks for this entry! Have been seeing a lot of chorizo-and-bean soups, may well make it myself one day.
Posted on November 4th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Black bean soups always seem kind of boring…what a great idea to add chorizo! Can't wait to try this.
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 at 2:29 am
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