Black Bean Soup, Red-Chili Bread

Gallimaufry - Gravy Train

by Beverly Tjerngren

Beverly Tjerngren.

This is an easy-to-make soup that you'll want to serve again and again.

Black Bean Soup

  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green Bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can peeled, whole tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cans black beans, drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans)
  • 2½ cups vegetable broth*

Warm oil in a large pot and sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and spices and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes and stirring occasionally.

Drain both cans of black beans. Empty one can into a bowl and mash beans with a fork (or use a food processor). Leave the remaining beans whole. Add both mashed and whole beans, along with vegetable broth, to the soup pot.

Let soup simmer without a lid for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

*Mixing vegetable broth with bouillon cubes and water works well for this recipe.

Red-Chili Bread

This bread smells wonderful and comes with a bit of a kick. This recipe makes a small loaf that is a perfect complement to black bean soup.

  • ¾ to 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp. water
  • 1 packet dry yeast
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1 red chili pepper (strength according to preference)
  • ½ cup grated cheese

Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and chop finely. Heat the crème fraîche and water over low heat until warm (~110°F/45°C). Stir in yeast, oil, sugar, chili, salt, whole-wheat flour, and most of the all-purpose flour. Work into a soft dough and knead until smooth. Let rise under a dishtowel for 45 minutes.

Punch down dough and knead the remainder of the all-purpose flour into it. Shape into a long, thin loaf. use a sharp knife to cut a criss-cross pattern into the top of the loaf, and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Let rise under a dishtowel for another 30-45 minutes.

Bake loaf for approximately 25 minutes in a 400°F/200°C oven. Bread is best served fresh from the oven.