Black Bean Soup With Cilantro Lime Sour Cream Recipes

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.
• Add the black beans, chicken broth, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
• Purée the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender to puree the soup in batches; see note.) Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro.
• Note: If using a standard blender, purée the soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (It may thicken up a bit while in the freezer; if so, just thin it out with a bit of water or broth while reheating.)

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

CORN, CILANTRO AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan. When hot, add the onion, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cumin and saute for 10 seconds to release their aroma. Add the broth and water and bring to a simmer.
• While the liquid is coming to a simmer, with a knife separate the cilantro leaves from the stems. If you wish, wrap the stems well with string and add to the broth to infuse the liquid with more cilantro flavor. When the liquid is at a simmer, add the corn and beans and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes just to heat the ingredients well. Meanwhile chop the cilantro leaves you need anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped leaves. Add the cilantro leaves and immediately remove the soup from the heat. Discard the cilantro stems. Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Ladle the soup out and garnish each portion with sour cream and garnish the sour cream with pimento. Variation: to turn this into a main course soup, add 12 ounces of strips of raw chicken when you add the beans and corn. Or add 12 ounces chopped cleaned shrimp after you have added the beans and corn and cook for 2 minutes to cook through.

CILANTRO-LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder; stir 1 minute. Add chicken; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, corn, tomatoes and 1/2 bunch cilantro sprigs to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Discard cilantro sprigs. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
• Add chopped cilantro and lime juice to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sour cream.

BLACK BEAN-TOMATO SOUP WITH CILANTRO-LIME CREAM

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp.
• Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan; set bacon aside.
• Add onion and celery to pan; cook 5 minutes or until celery is tender.
• Stir in 3/4 teaspoon cumin, chile powder, and garlic; cook 1 minute.
• Stir in bacon, pepper, beans, tomatoes, and broth; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Place half of bean mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters).
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour into a large bowl.
• Repeat procedure with remaining bean mixture; process until smooth. Keep warm.
• Combine sour cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin, cilantro, rind, and juice in a small bowl. Drizzle cream over soup.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH CUMIN AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeños; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in beans and spices. Add 8 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup with cilantro in blender. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate.)
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Serve, passing lime wedges separately.

BEST BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.
• In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.
• Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.
• Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.
• Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
• Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.
• Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.