Mexican bean soup

The weather down here on the Mayan Riviera has been unusually cooler, still in the 20s but a lot of warm tropical rain and clouds. Fittingly, soup was on the menu this week to go with a shredded green salad with citrus vinaigrette. Both were quite delicious so I thought I’d share them on the blog. Salad in the next post.

I find that dried beans that I buy here cook much faster than the beans I buy at home. Maybe it’s the humidity that makes them not as dry, or maybe they are simply more fresh than what we get at home, but here I hardly need to soak them and they cook in no time.

I bought a bag of creamy pinkish pinto beans and made them into a hearty soup with a base of aromatics (onion, garlic, celery and carrot) and flavoured it with red salsa for a bit of a kick. This is the time that you can use prepared salsa if you don’t have a homemade sauce. La Costena Salsa Mexicana is one I like (not sponsored).

Authentic recipe would call for Mexican crema which can be substituted with, sour cream or creme fraiche. For a vegan soup use cashew cream. Flat leaf parsley or cilantro go both into the soup and scattered on top at serving.

Delicious, hearty, wholesome soup. Try it, you’ll like it.

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Ingredients:

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2 cups beans

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 celery stick with leaves, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

8 cups water or stock

A handful flat leaf parsley or cilantro, chopped

1 cup red salsa, extra for serving

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup cashew cream

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Directions:

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Soak beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain when ready to proceed.

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add celery and carrots cook for a few minutes so soften.

Add the beans and about 8 cups water or a combination of water and stock or bullion cube.

Bring the soup to a boil, lower heat and let cook at a steady simmer until the beans are soft. If necessary, add more water or stock to keep the beans submerged in liquid. Beans would absorb a different amount of water so you will need to adjust.

When the soup is almost ready add 1 cup of tomato salsa and a handful of chopped parsley and stir it in.

When the beans are fully cooked remove from heat and partially puree the soup with an immersion blender. Don’t make it smooth though, texture is good in this soup.

To serve ladle the soup into bowls,  swirl additional salsa into the soup, add cream and chopped parsley.

Serve immediately.

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