Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
I have made this soup for years, sometimes with the ham, sometimes without, only a few times with the sherry vinegar. I usually only make half the recipe but you could make the full one for a large group or freeze the remainder.Original recipe: Gourmet, November 1996Yield: 9 cups
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3 15 oz cans black beans rinsed and drained Or cook them yourself in your pressure cooker
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 ¼ cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup minced shallot I’ve used all onion if no shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup butter I usually use less
- 4 cups beef or other broth
- 1 16 oz can pumpkin puree Or I use pre-cooked winter squash
- ½ cup dry sherry Don’t skip this ingredient unless avoiding alcohol
- ½ lb ham cut in 1/8 in dice Can skip if vegetarian
- 3-4 Tbsp sherry vinegar I have used other vinegars because sherry vinegar is a little hard to find
Garnish:
- sour cream
- coarsely chopped and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes. Leave some aside if you like a more chunky style soup.
- In a 6 qt. heavy-bottomed pan (I like cast iron)cook the onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in butter over medium heat until onion is softened and beginning to brown.
- Stir in bean/tomato puree, followed by broth, pumpkin and sherry.
- Simmer uncovered, with occasional stirring for25 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Just before serving add ham and vinegar totaste, simmer again until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with sour cream and pumpkin seeds.
Comments are closed.