Black Bean Soup with Tortillas de Maíz

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Three things I am very obsessed with: my slow cooker, soup and fresh corn tortillas! I have made black bean soup quite a few times, but this is hands down, the best it has ever turned out.

Black Bean Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit and smitten kitchen

A big note about cooking times when using dried beans: The original recipe says 6 hours, smitten kitchen’s took 2 hours 45 minutes, mine took just over 4 hours. Not sure if it is a variation in the beans or slow cookers cook times.

Yields 6 main course servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium-size red onions, chopped
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (I only used 2 this time, as they were MASSIVE cloves)
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce package dried black beans
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles from a can (this gives it a solid kick, dial back if you are wary, I LOVE spicy so I used even more than this)
7 cups hot water (I just used very hot tap water)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 avocadocilantro
green onions

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotles, then 7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours. [See note up top.]

Transfer bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to the pot or a large serving bowl (the original recipe calls for just two cups of the soup to be pureed but I wanted a smooth and creamy soup this time). Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste; we found we needed more salt. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with diced avocado and chopped cilantro and green onions.

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What goes better for dipping into your spicy black bean soup than warm, freshly made corn tortillas?? NOTHING. Being that I have an intolerance to gluten, I have found a love for corn tortillas and their many practical uses. They are delicious with soup, on tacos, for breakfast, the list just goes on and on. I would always get incredibly excited when I would go to a restaurant that made their own. Since so few did, I always assumed it was incredibly difficult or time consuming. Man, was I wrong. This was the first time I made them and it was a breeze. The most important thing to remember is that the more imperfect they are, the more “homemade” they look, so don’t stress about the perfection.

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Handmade Tortillas de Maíz (Corn Tortillas)

Yields 16 tortillas

2 cups masa harina (Mexican corn “flour” for making tortillas—Maseca brand is widely available in well-stocked groceries and Mexican markets)
1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups of water

  1. Mix the Masa Harina and the water; knead to form your masa (dough), you will be able to tell if it needs more water.
  2. Roll the dough with your hands into a long cylinder and equally divide it into 16 pieces
  3. Take one of the 16 pieces and roll it into a ball with your hands
  4. Set the masa on a piece of plastic in the tortilla press; cover with another piece of plastic (at the time I made this, I didn’t yet have a tortillas press and I had to use a combination of a coffee can and a rolling pin)
  5. Press the masa
  6. Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet
  7. Cook for about 50 seconds on one side; gently turn
  8. Cook for about 50 seconds (it should puff slightly); turn back to the first side and cook a few seconds longer if you think you need it. You’ll probably have to play with the time a bit to get it right.
  9. Remove and keep the tortilla warm in a tortillas warmer or on a cookie sheet in the oven (set to 250°F)

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Here are some of the yummies we made in the days after with the corn tortillas. Veggie tacos with avocados, tomatoes, limes, lettuce, cilantro and green onions and a side of mexican rice (I am still perfecting that recipe so I will post it when I am happy with it).

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And a quick egg taco for a tasty and fast breakfast. Just fry an egg quick, put it on a warm tortilla and top with cilantro, green onions, salt and pepper and whatever else you’d like. One of my favorites.

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4 Responses

  1. […] Rancheros Serves 2 4 corn tortillas 4 eggs butter 1/2 can of refried beans (I like Eden Organic’s Low Sodium Spicy Refried Pinto […]

  2. […] fresh homemade corn tortillas, prepared, cooked and ready to be eaten (if you used store-bought corn tortillas, you will need to […]

  3. inmylife3 says:

    I just stumbled upon this blog—and quickly subscribed. Yummm. . .we’re going to be fast friends!

  4. angie says:

    Hi there! Stumbled onto your page from pintrist and love it. We are transitioning to a gluten, dairy, and soy free household and it’s tough to find ways to cook things that taste delicious when you are used to using all of those other things! Just a quick question. When you say dried beans in your recipes you mean just bulk like beans from the store right? I always thought you had to soak beans overnight or something like that unless you used them canned. I would like to make your black bean crock pot recipe as our first bean recipe!

    Thanks!

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