The Alchemy of Soup

When I talk about food I usually talk about more than just food. That’s because I believe food is magic; I liken it to an alchemical process whereby ingredients, when brought together, have the power to transform in marvelous ways. Similarly, humans possess this same potential for permutation, and often times mimic the food on the table. When we’re not engaged in our food, we can’t be engaged with one another either. Conversely, when we come together to cook, assigning different tasks and utilizing communication to accomplish our goal, we find we have created more than just dinner, we’ve charmed vivacity and joy into our supper and our lives.

This is not to say that one must always cook with others. Sometimes all I want is to be left alone with my ingredients and escape reality while I chop, dice, or peel. But on a gloomy winters’ day (yeah, winter, remember that season?) there is no better way to brighten one's spirits than coming together with friends to fire up those burners! Although I was hoping to save this warming pleasure for a colder day (dare I think snow) I have a friend coming over this afternoon who will be helping me to make one of my favorite wintertime dishes, soup!!!

And what is more magical than soup? You begin with ordinary-seeming, individual ingredients and end up with a blazing bowl of soothing elixir that can cure even the coldest winter time blues. And this type of alchemy can be practiced by any and all, which is why it makes for a great activity when Jack Frost is knocking on your door. 

Today, I have my friend Brian cooking with me (you remember him from Europe).  But before we get things steaming in the kitchen, we are going to heat up our bodies on the dance floor as well… I am dragging him to his first Zumba class!  In the evening we plan to have a “Movie-thon” where we will try to watch as many of our favorite films as possible. But dinner is where the real fun begins because I have all my ingredients prepped and ready to go and cannot wait to share this enchanting and enticing mixture. There is nothing better than good fun, good friends and good soup, especially when that winter chill is fresh in the air!

Last time I made black bean soup

The soup we're serving up is relatively simple to make. Two winters ago I found a recipe for South-Western black bean soup while searching for something to eat that was both healthy and satisfying. For most people, myself included, winter weather means richer, heavier foods that warm the body. It’s what we crave, but it can pack on the pounds if we’re not mindful of what it is we’re eating (watch out for butter). So when I found a recipe that was low in fat, but full of nutritious veggies, beans and herbs, I couldn’t wait to try it.

You can find the original recipe at www.onceuponachef.com, but I’ve included my own version below, which adds some extra veggies and substitutes vegetable stock for chicken stock in order to create a dish that's 100% vegetarian. Of course I still use a dollop of sour cream on top because, well, no one's perfect. Keep in mind that any of the veggies listed can be substituted for alternates or simply taken out to suit your needs and tastes, so go ahead and be creative, and let the alchemy commence!

Heather's Southwestern Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

A generous splash extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion roughly chopped

4 large garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped/crushed

3 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped

2 Portabella mushrooms roughly chopped

6 celery stocks roughly chopped

2 large stocks of kale (or other leafy greens) roughly chopped with stems taken off

1/2 bag of black beans (2 cans works as well)

5 cups vegetable stock

1 bell pepper roughly chopped
1/2 jalapeno diced
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
roughly half a lime cut into wedges for squeezing
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
sour cream, tortilla chips, and/or pepper jack cheese optional for topping

It takes time to make this soup, and teamwork if you have it, but otherwise it's pretty simple. If you have canned beans they can be added to soup mixture later and do not need to be cooked ahead of time. Otherwise, rinse and  place the dried beans in soup pan filled 3/4 with water;cook on medium heat over stovetop. stir occasionally. You can set your timer for 1 hour and leave them to cook, just make sure they're not boiling, you don't want a mess!

During the time it takes the beans to cook, you can prep your veggies. Wash anything that needs washing, peel your carrots and dice and chop everything accordingly. 

when the beans have cooked for 1 full hour (they should be soft and purplish in color) you can begin sautéing your onions, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms and olive oil on medium heat. After about 5-10 minutes the onions will become translucent, at which point you can add the rest of your veggies, black beans (canned or cooked), veggie stock, salt, and all of the spices except for the cilantro. Bring to a boil, then let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 15 minutes you can remove the mixture from heat and let cool. I usually prepare this soup ahead of time and place mixture in the fridge after cooking. When you are ready to eat you can simply take out the mixture from fridge and blend together. I use a food processor, but an immersion blender may also be used. If using a standard blender/food processor, be sure not to fill to top, fill half at a time and blend separately. 

After soup is blended and ladled into bowls, take lime wedges (one per bowl is enough) and squeeze lime juice into soup and stir. If you'd like you can garnish with a dollop of sour cream and/or shredded pepper jack cheese, chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper or even cayenne pepper/diced jalapeño for an added kick! Enjoy!!!