Black bean soup

I love all kinds of beans and lentils, but black beans aren't a variety I've cooked with too often.

I've used the canned kind in chilli in the distant past, but generally kidney beans are my go-to variety for a chilli (sometimes with chick peas too). Cannelini beans or other creamy white beans are what I turn to for dips and Italian-inspired dishes such as stews and soups. And then chick peas have all kinds of uses - in substantial salads, pasta sauces, hummus, occasionally a curry. (Writing this list, it occurs to me that it's time I showed black-eyed beans a bit of love too.)

Anyway, for now I'm redressing the balance where black beans are concerned. I soaked and cooked a huge batch (1kg of dried beans to be precise, though 500g would possibly be a more normal quantity) in my stockpot. About a third of the cooked beans went into a black bean and chocolate chilli. Some of them made their way into the freezer for future use. And the rest, inspired partly by the fact that I had all the cooking liquid too, formed the basis of this soup.

With the beans were already cooked, this made a pretty speedy soup - about 10 minutes preparation and 20 minutes to simmer. It was just right for a wintry Sunday afternoon, and the leftovers will reheat fine in the microwave for lunch at work on Monday.

If you haven't planned ahead, you could use a quick-soaking method (cover your unsoaked beans with cold water, bring to the boil, turn off the heat, and leave to sit for an hour before cooking as below). Or just use tinned black beans.

Ingredients

Makes 4 bowls

250g black beans, soaked overnight (or use 2 tins black beans)
2 bay leaves
Vegetable stock (optional)
3 onions
3 carrots
4 sticks celery
1 red bell pepper
1 medium chilli pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Method

Drain your soaked (or quick-soaked beans) of their soaking liquid. Place in a large saucepan, cover with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Add a couple of bay leaves and 1 of your onions, roughly chopped. Simmer for at least an hour, probably longer, until the beans are tender.

If you're using canned beans, just empty them into your large saucepan, add two bay leaves, fill one of the empty cans with water or vegetable stock, add that to the pan too, and bring to the boil. 

Chop the carrots, celery and remaining onions (2 if you've cooked the beans from scratch with an onion, 3 if you haven't) quite small. Chop the red pepper too, but reserve half of the chopped pieces for garnish at the end. Add the veg to the beans and their liquid. Slice the chilli very finely, reserving a few slices for garnish if you feel like it, and add to the pan with the smoked paprika and coriander. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the veg are tender. Add extra water or vegetable stock if you think it needs it - it should be fairly substantial. Garnish with the remaining red pepper and slices of chilli.

I like this just as it is, with visible beans and vegetable pieces. But you could whizz it up with a stick blender or liquidiser if you want a smooth, thick soup. This makes a good lunch on its own, or some bread on the side makes it even more substantial.