In thick and thin, this black bean soup satisfies autumn cravings

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One of the greatest things about soup is that it is truly one of those no muss, no fuss foods. For the most part, all the ingredients go into one pot, get simmered up and eaten on the spot.

Depending on the soup, you might sauté some soffrito, a mixture of various aromatic ingredients that serve as the base, or there might be a slurry or roux to thicken and lend some viscosity to the liquid. One of the best ways to thicken a soup is to puree some of the contents and whisk them back into the pot. For example, when making a black bean soup, you might take a few cups’ worth, blend them and put them back in the pot — and suddenly the soup takes on a totally different texture than an otherwise diluted broth.

One amazing countertop appliance that takes soup making to a new level is a vitamix blender. This is certainly not an affordable purchase, but the quality of this blender far surpasses that of any blender I have ever used. It’s all in the texture of the finished product, and with it, you will more than likely always get a smooth, if not downright velvety soup. This especially comes into play for vegetable- and bean-based soups.

As far as vegetable soups go, they require far less time to cook than meat- or poultry-based soups for a few reasons. First, beef and chicken require longer cooking times to break down the protein until tender. The long simmering also brings out the flavor of the bones. With vegetables, in order to get the most flavor, you don’t want to over cook them; just simmer until tender and season to taste. 

The use of fresh herbs like parsley, dill, rosemary and thyme also bring a lot of flavor and dimension to your soups. Try adding a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme to a bean soup. Do it once you have turned off the heat and leave it to infuse for about five to 10 minutes.

Danielle’s black bean soup

4 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

3 Tbsp. canola oil

2 yellow onion

2 jalapenos

4 chopped garlic cloves

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. oregano or epazote

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 sprig fresh thyme

What's cooking, black bean soup, Danielle Rehfeld
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