This recipe is food for your soul. It’s hearty, healthy and full of flavour. You can just make the soup if you would rather but served altogether, this makes a really satisfying dinner.
Black Bean Soup
vegetable oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced to a paste
1 red pepper, cut into dice
1 stick celery, finely sliced
sprig of thyme
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
large pinch of cinnamon
large pinch of ground allspice (optional)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
1 dried chipotle chilli, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and cut into strips
250g dried black beans, soaked overnight in cold water (or use 2 cans of cooked black beans)
tin of cherry tomatoes
dash of worcester sauce
750ml fresh vegetable or chicken stock
3 canned or tinned piquillo peppers (optional – if not use a total of 2 fresh red peppers)
large pinch of salt
2 spring onions, finely sliced
chopped corriander
handful of celery leaves, finely chopped
In a large saucepan heat a little vegetable oil and gently fry off the shallot, garlic, red pepper & celery stick - cook until the shallot are garlic are soft but not brown. Add the thyme & the spices, black pepper, pinch of sugar & the chipotle & fry for a couple of minutes. Add the beans and coat, then add the tomatoes, a dash of worcester sauce and the stock then add the tinned piquillo peppers. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender (about 45mins – 1 hour).
Once the beans are tender add salt. If using tinned, cooked beans reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning – adding more salt, pepper or Worcester sauce.
Garnish with spring onions, chopped celery leaves & coriander. Serve with avocado salsa, lime cream and corn cakes.
Avocado Salsa
1 large avocado
few cherry tomatoes, diced
1 spring onion finely sliced
large pinch of chipotle flakes
½ red pepper finely diced
juice of 1 or 2 limes
salt & pepper
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Mash the avocado in a bowl - you don’t want it to be totally smooth. Add the tomatoes, spring onions, red pepper and mix together. Sprinkle in the chipotle, chopped coriander and the lime juice. Season with salt & pepper.
Lime Cream
4 dessertspoons double cream
Juice of ½ lime
Simply whisk the two together until thick!
Corn Cakes
300g sweetcorn kernels
5 tablespoons chick pea flour
3 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
zest 1 lime
salt & pepper
sparkling water
vegetable oil
Put the chickpea flour, paprika, lime zest in a bowl and season with salt & pepper. Whisk in some sparkling water until you have the consistency of double cream. Stir in the sweetcorn.
Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok. When hot add a dessertspoon of the mix into the oil and press down on the mixture to make a thin cake. Repeat with more spoons of the corn mix until the pan is full. Fry on both sides until the cakes are golden brown.
Drain on kitchen roll and fry off more cakes until all the mix has been used.
Enjoy!
Angela x
