Pumpkin & Pomegranate

My father has a dear friend who is from Guatemala. When I was a child we went to his house for a dinner party where we were served a fairly simple looking black bean soup. The soup was puréed, and had a drizzle of cream on the top. I couldn’t have been older than 10, but that soup made such an impact on me I have thought about it many many times over the years. I actually found my father’s friend’s daughter on Facebook last week and asked her if she had any clue what the recipe was. I wasn’t patient enough to wait to hear back from her, so I just tried to recreate the recipe as best as I could. I recall the original recipe being a tad darker in color, but I am sure they were made from dried beans and I was too busy to prepare beans for dinner last week. I also assume that the original stock was chicken broth. I shudder to think about how many times I ate food as a child that I assumed to be vegetarian friendly when in actuality it contained broth. I am not quite certain, but for some reason most people do not think about chicken or beef broth as being an animal product. Anyway, it was delicious, and this soup I made was very close to the original. I think perhaps the only true difference might be the broth and the cream. I am hoping I do get the recipe for that soup, but until then this will be making it’s way into my repertoire.

The bay leaves I used came from Ellie Bluebell Designs and she is still giving away free bay leaves to anyone who places an order with her and mentions my blog. This offer will last until 12/24/09. I highly recommend the items in Ellie Bluebell Smells. I purchased a few of the salts and one of the sugars for holiday gifts!

and now, the soup…

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 1 Bulb Garlic, minced
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, diced
• 1-2 Jalapeños (depending on heat preference), chopped
• 2 T. Oregano
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 T. Cumin Seed
• 4 15oz. Cans Black Beans
• 2.5 C. Vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• MimicCreme

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat, sautée the onion,garlic and peppers in a few tablespoons of olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add in the oregano, bay leaves, and cumin and continue to sautée for about 2 minutes, making sure the onions do not burn.
3. Add the beans and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup in a food processor or blender.*
5. Season with sea salt.
6. Top each serving with a drizzle of MimicCreme.

*This is easier to do in 2-3 batches rather than all at once.