Huddle Together for Warmth, or Eat Soup

It's cold here in Atlanta.  Like New England winter, wear a big puffy jacket and huddle by the fire cold.  Not my favorite of weather conditions, to say the least.  Since I can't realistically just up and go to a warm climate (although thankfully my job is taking me to one next week), I decided to make soup.


I'm actually not much of a soup person.  It's kind of odd, because my mom loves soup, and I ate many delicious soups growing up, but in general, soup just doesn't do much for me.  Ironically, the soups I do love tend to be those that my mom isn't a huge fan of--like chili or cream of anything.  I don't think there's anything Freudian about this, nor do I feel that I need any therapy to reconcile our differences of soup opinion, but it is kind of interesting. 



Soup therapy aside, my most favorite soup, and perhaps the most elusive, is black bean soup.  I love the flavors, the colors when garnished with a bit of sour cream and some cilantro, and the warmth and spiciness.  For years I've been working out the perfect black bean soup recipe; today I might have succeeded.  


[I served this with made-from-scratch cornbread (is there another way?) and a spinach salad, a big hit all around.]

Black Bean Soup

By Hannah

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 16 oz cans black beans (or 1 black, 1 kidney, which is what I did), drained and rinsed

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp green chili powder (could also use regular chili powder but I love green chilis, this can be hard to find outside of New Mexico though)

dash Worcestershire sauce

dash Siracha chili sauce (Tabasco or another hot sauce works too)

2 tbsp olive oil

Active time:  20 minutes; Total time:  45 minutes

Serves 4

Heat olive oil in stockpot over medium high heat.  Add onions, cumin, and chili powder and cook for 8-10 minutes, until onions are soft and beginning to brown.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, until odor of garlic is apparent. 

Add beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce, and chili sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.  In batches, remove around ½-3/4 of the soup to a bowl and puree using a hand blender (you could also do this with a regular blender; the amount of soup you puree will depend on whether you want a chunkier soup or smoother soup).  Return pureed soup to pot and cook another 5-10 minutes over low heat.  Serve soup with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, green onions, or other desired accompaniments.