Yesterday morning Chicken Noodle Soup sounded fine, but by last night, after two sick days when all food tastes like sawdust, I was ready for a little spice. It still had to be a sinus clearing soup, so I gave the matter a little thought.
There was once a West Nashville restaurant that had a lot of really fancy steaks and entrees on the menu, but I went back time and again for the Black Bean Soup and the Asparagus Lasagna. Either dish was enough to be a meal, so I had to just pick one and dream about the other. I think the restaurant was called Club 106, but I know the proprietor was named Robert, and he kindly lent his services as an advisor for the Culinary Arts Program at the high school where my husband was then principal. Sometimes restaurants are reluctant to part with recipes, and I’ve personally told some appalling lies trying to get my hands on them, but Robert was very happy to share both of my favorites with me.
Black Bean Soup seemed like just the thing for a cold and an October night (not a cold October night) so I set to work hunting down my copy of the recipe. I hadn’t made it for a while and deciding on bean soup at 5:30 is not really practical for a three or four hour preparation that includes soaking beans. It was a relief to see a note scribbled in the margin that canned beans could be used. It was a plus to get to use the oregano in my garden. The soup was a cinch to make and absolutely delicious! Just what the doctor would have ordered if I’d seen one.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chopped jalapeño (I sometimes substitute chipotle packed in adobo for the smokiness it brings)
2 cans black beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1½ c chicken broth
Directions
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin, oregano
and jalapeño.
Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt, and pepper.
Once I had Black Bean Soup in a restaurant in Phoenix, and they brought it to the table along with a little pitcher of sherry. I have this thing about sherry, and I thought it was the most wonderful presentation I’d ever seen. So yes, even if I’m eating Black Bean Soup all alone, I pour sherry into my little sherry pitcher. I suggest you do that. It makes you feel special every time.
Other garnishes are cilantro, chopped green onion, sliced avocado, lime, cheese and sour cream, but none of them get a pitcher of their own!
