Not So Basic Black Bean Soup

Photo By Caleb Adams

BY LAUREN SCHAEFER

This easy and brilliant recipe was published in Bon Appetit and it's our go to. 

Choosing The Right Black Beans

The thing about this recipe is that you want to use really fresh dried black beans or it will take forever to cook. Bulk grocery store bin beans are OLD, never use those. Beans from your local grocery store are typically over 2 years old by the time they hit the shelves for you to buy. If you are lucky enough to be in our heirloom bean and grain club you might have some of the impossible to find varieties in your pantry (hint, get on that wait list) but if you're not in the club you can still by farm fresh heirloom beans from our store.

The classic "black bean" or frijole negro that we'd suggest is the Organic Black Turtle Bean (It's the same heirloom variety Rancho Gordo calls "Midnight Black" but this is organic and grown on a small family farm in Northern California.) The Black Tepary Bean is a more ancient variety grown by Ramona Farms on their ancestral land. It's got a delicious chocolaty flavor with a hint of lime making it a great choice for this soup. It also boasts higher protein than other beans. And if you want to have a really authentic flavor go for the Organic and regeneratively Grown Oaxacan Black Beans. They look like shiny black beads and the flavor will knock you over.

A Note About Chipotle In Adobo

This is an item you'll find in a latin market or the latin section of your grocery store. Its sort of a shortcut to smoky and spicy flavor used in a lot of mexican recipes. I often don't have a tin on hand so I add some whole dried chilis to the pot, fish them out when they are soft, take off the stems, toss them in the blender with some of the bean stock and then add them back to the pot. 

Ingredients:

8–10 servings

• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar (for added pizazz try the Hot Vinegar by American Vinegar Works)
• 1 7-oz. tin chipotle chiles in adobo, or dried whole chilis or 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
• 1 lb. dried black beans (not soaked)
• 1½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
• 3 limes
• 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt or plant based alternative
•  Cilantro, sliced avocado, crushed Fritos, finely chopped onion, lime wedges, and/or hot sauce (for serving; optional)

Directions:

1. Peel and chop1 onion and1 carrot.  Peel 3 garlic cloves by smashing each firmly with the flat side of a knife to break into smaller pieces. Discard skins.

2.  Heat¼ cup oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 5–7 minutes. Don't worry if the veggies start sticking to the bottom of the pan a little bit...

We can't legally show you the entire recipe, plus they have some great video of preparing it, so we recommend you go to the full recipe HERE for directions. (after you've bought the delicious organic heirloom black beans, hot sauce and dried chilis here of course!)