Sopa de frijoles (latin american bean soup)
8 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | grams | Pinto beans; or mixed dried |
| ; beans | ||
| 110 | grams | Pancetta; bacon or lardons, |
| ; diced | ||
| 2 | Onions; chopped | |
| 2 | larges | Carrots; diced |
| 2 | Celery sticks; diced | |
| 4 | Garlic cloves; chopped | |
| 3 | tablespoons | Sunflower or vegetable oil |
| 1 | Heaped tbsp cumin seeds | |
| 1 | tablespoon | Dried oregano |
| 2 | 400 g tins chopped tomatoes | |
| 4 | tablespoons | Dry sherry |
| Juice 1 lime | ||
| Salt and pepper | ||
| 3 | Sprigs parsley | |
| 2 | Sprigs thyme | |
| 2 | Bay leaves | |
| 1 | small | Spri rosemary; (optional) |
| 150 | millilitres | Soured cream or creme fraiche |
| 1 | Avocado; peeled, stoned and | |
| ; diced at the last | ||
| ; minute | ||
| 6 | Spring onions; thinly sliced | |
| 2 | Red chillies; deseeded and very | |
| ; finely chopped | ||
| A small bunch of coriander; roughly chopped | ||
| 2 | Limes; cut into wedges | |
Directions
FOR THE BOUQUET GARNI
TO SERVE
1 Tie the herbs for the bouquet garni together with a length of string.
Soak the beans for four hours and drain thoroughly.
2 Sweat the pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bouquet garni in the oil over a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
3 Add the beans and enough water to cover by about 7.5cm/3in. Boil hard for 10 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1-2 hours while covered, until the beans are very tender.
4 Add the cumin, oregano, tomatoes, sherry, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and crushing the beans against the side of the pan, until you have a thick soup, studded with whole beans. 5 Remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust the seasoning (starchy beans appreciate plenty of salt).
6 Reheat the soup thoroughly when ready to serve, adding a splash of water if it seems overly thick. Put all the serving bits and bobs into small bowls and arrange in the centre of the table.
7 Ladle the hot soup into bowls and pass around, while the garnishes can be served from another set of bowls.
Converted by MC_Buster.
Recipe by: Sophie Grigson's Herbs Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.