Thursday, December 13, 2007

Pumpkin-Black Bean-Chipotle Soup


Ok, so it's not much of a looker, but this soup was good. Really good. If-I-ever-wrote-a-cookbook-this-would-be-in-there kind of good. You should try it!

I saw this post over at smitten kitchen, which made me want to try a pumpkin soup other than the coconut milk and red curry one I usually make. Deb describes her soup as "big, beefy, and bold", with toothsome chunks of ham. Well, obviously my soup isn't beefy or ham-filled, but I think it has a similar feel, though it tastes very different than the recipe that inspired it! It's thick and hearty and packed with flavour-- in this case, chipotle and cilantro, two of my very favourite flavours. I left some of the beans whole to give it a bit more texture.

I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Pumpkin-Black Bean-Chipotle Soup (serves 4)

4 1/2 cups black beans (about three 15 1/2 ounce cans), rinsed and drained
1 15 1/2 ounce can whole tomatoes, fire roasted if you have them
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tsp good chili powder
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced, with 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Coarsly pureé 3 1/2 cups of the beans and the tomatoes tomatoes.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt, and cook, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and cook for another minute. Stir in the bean pureé. Stir in broth, and pumpkin until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Just before serving, add the rest of the beans and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the chopped cilantro.

Serve soup garnished with cilantro sprigs.

13 comments:

sulu-design said...

You're gonna get rid of that pumpkin if it's the last thing you do! I'm impressed.

Anonymous said...

this looks awesome! let's say, though, that i didn't have sherry vinegar handy. is there a substitute i could use, maybe? :)

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

This sounds great!

Alisa said...

hmm, yes, I am curious on a sherry vinegar sub also?

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

hey, that Pumpkin-Black Bean-Chipotle Soup looks wonderful to me!! glad to read that it tastes just as fabulous - I will definitely keep this recipe on hand!!

Ashasarala said...

Not much of a looker? No, way! That looks so perfect for cold winter days.

Anonymous said...

Yum! Made this tonight - both the hubbie and I love this! Woot!

TwilaO said...

Oh wow. I made this for dinner tonight and kept eating WAY after I was sufficiently full. lol SO good, thank you for this recipe! An instant classic at this house.

Annie said...

I just made this - it was superb! I realize I'm three years late, but to the anonymous who was looking for a vinegar substitute, I used a mix of white wine vinegar and mirin.

Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

I tried your soup tonight! It turned out spicy, delicious and very flavorful. I added a little salsa to the soup before I ate it. Very good! Thanks for sharing your recipe :)

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Marla said...

I tried this and it wasn't as thick as I thought it'd be, so it was just okay. If I made it again I'd maybe add some field roast sausage (chipotle).

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