Black Bean Soup with Ham

I came across this recipe recently from Everybody Loves Sandwiches and it was just cool enough outside that it appealed. Not to mention that all the ingredients were in the pantry and/or the freezer. I had a pack of frozen ham slices from last Easter, so that was perfect. I used Trader Joe's frozen corn which is exceptionally sweet. We had on hand a tub of fire-roasted salsa from Costco, which is nice and spicy, so much so that no extra hot sauce was needed at the end. No sour cream around, but there was a tub of Crema Mexicana, which made it even more authentic. Also we had a baggie full of finely grated dry Mexican cheese, and a tablespoon or so at service time really added a lot.

Accompanying the soup were mini corn muffins, which I had made for a dinner a while ago and froze the leftovers for future.

I wished I had had an ice-cold Mexican beer to wash it all down. Gotta get some to have on hand for those three or four times a year I actually want a beer.

This soup is a keeper, definitely, and I'll be making this again. Note: This soup improves over the course of a few days. Plan on making it at least one day, even up to three days, ahead of time.

Black Bean Soup with Ham
(from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

2 cans black beans, drained
1 t olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 t chipotle powder
4 slices of thinly sliced ham
1 large tub (500 ml) of your favorite fresh salsa
4-5 c chicken stock
1/2 c frozen corn
hot sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, sliced
sour cream (optional)
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large pot. Add in onion and garlic and sautee for a few minutes until translucent. Add in red pepper, ham and chipotle powder and stir until combined. Add beans, salsa and cover with chicken stock. Cover pot and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

2. Turn down the heat to a low simmer. Use a potato masher and mash up the beans until the soup thickens. Add in corn, hot sauce and the lime juice and give everything a good stir. Simmer for a few additional minutes until everything is heated through. Serve in bowls with slices of avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Delicious Healthy Soup

We had a quarter bag of snap peas, a full bag of the small French green beans and a box of spinach in the freezer, along with some really fine homemade chicken stock. So I came up with this soup recipe, and it turned out really well. I'm sure the main ingredients can be fooled with, depending on what's available in the fridge, freezer and pantry. A nice garnish is thinly sliced lemon from the backyard crop; perhaps a small swirl of thinned sour cream or Mexican crema; or a snipping of fresh chive and/or dill. I'm going to add this one to my keeper list. Also, this is probably equally good served cold on a hot day to start an outdoor lunch or casual dinner.

PLUS
PLUS
EQUALS

PUREE OF SNAP PEA, GREEN BEAN & SPINACH SOUP

SAUTÉ 1 CHOPPED ONION AND 2 SLICED GARLIC CLOVES IN OLIVE OIL. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER.

ADD TO THE ABOVE 1 10-OZ. THAWED, SQUEEZED-DRY PACK OF FROZEN SPINACH.

ADD TO THE ABOVE ABOUT 2 CUPS, APPROX., WHOLE SNAP PEAS.

ADD TO THE ABOVE ABOUT 3 CUPS SMALL GREEN BEANS.

ADD TO THE ABOVE 1 SMALL PEELED POTATO OR A COUPLE PEELED FINGERLINGS.

ADD TO THE ABOVE 2 CUPS WATER AND ABOUT 3 OR SO CUPS CHICKEN STOCK OR BROTH, ½ TEASPOON DILL WEED, ½ TEASPOON DRY TARRAGON.

SEASON AGAIN WITH SALT AND PEPPER. BRING TO A BOIL, RETURN TO A SIMMER. SIMMER 15 MINUTES.

PUREÉ IN BATCHES IN BLENDER. STRAIN IF DESIRED. CORRECT SEASONING WITH SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE.

Southwestern Pumpkin Soup

Okay, I admit this was ridiculously easy. But everyone at dinner wanted the recipe, so I consider this a huge keeper and will make it again and again. This was ready, from start to finish, in about 30 minutes. No vegetable chopping, no pureeing.
It even uses canned pureed pumpkin, which I almost always have on hand. The blend of chile powders gives the soup a nice earthiness with a bit of heat too. I had a jar of Mexican crema in the fridge; so before added the grated Cheddar cheese as called form the the recipe, I drizzled over the soup a healthy spoonful of the crema. I'm not too big on cilantro, so instead of chopped, I just garnished with a couple of leaves which gave just a slight hint of the herb without overwhelming the soup's flavors.

I got this one from a three-and-a-half-fork-rated Epicurious recipe, but here's the recipe with my changes noted. Try to make it a day ahead because the ingredients taste to "raw" until they've had a chance to get to know each other a while.

The recipe yields 4 servings, but I doubled it for 8 and it was just fine.

SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream (used ½ & ½ )
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mixture)
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or chipotle chili powder) (used ½ New Mexico powder and
½ chipotle)
1/2teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(Mexican crema or sour cream, optional)
3/4 cup (packed) grated (white) sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro (garnished with leaves only)

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.) Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with optional crema. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

Makes 4 (first-course) servings.
Bon Appétit
October 2000
R.S.V.P.
The Watermark. Cleveland, OH