If you read the title and wonder what border this is south of, I will say, the Canadian border. The farther south you go there's more bean or black bean consumption. South in United States, and south of that border, in Mexico, black beans are consumed in various ways. South of Mexico and into central and South America, it's also a popular staple along with other types of beans.
When I was a child, if someone had told me about black beans, I would have said "eeyuck!". My friends and I would not have believed that people ate beans that were black. I only knew about canned baked beans that were sweetened. I was raised by my father. When he made dinner, it often was canned baked beans on toast. When he went all out, he made brown rice to go with it. I loved those dinners. I was not a picky eater.
When I was in my late teens I discovered Americanized Chili which contained red kidney beans. I loved it.
I can't remember the first time I had black beans. I think it was in Cuba in my late 20's, or Mexico in my early 30's.
Now here in Canada we are exposed to many foods from the world and have access to items that were not found decades ago.
There are many variations of black bean soup or stew, which depends on the family tradition, personal taste, or available ingredients.
I have made a black bean soup that most likely represents Mexico but the rest of Latin American could easily have similar variations of this.
Black bean soup
600g cooked black beans
65g carrot
60g celery
250g green pepper
20g hot pepper
1 litre vegetable broth or water
20g parsley
20g cilantro
20g chili pepper
Juice of a lime
380g tomatoes
50g chipotle in adobo sauce (canned)
25g maple syrup
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
Salt to your liking
I have used chipotle in adobo sauce because I was given a huge can of it months ago and put portions in the freezer. This gave it a more smokey and spicy flavor.
I chopped all the vegetables in small dices.
I used basic ingredients that I would use for a soup broth. I also used both parsley and cilantro.
I decided on a spicy soup and used chilies. The last time I made black bean soup, I didn't make it spicy. It was still good.
I added the onion, garlic, carrot and celery to the hot oil in a pot, and turned it to medium. It was cooked down for around 20 minutes then I added the tomatoes and cooked for another 10 minutes or so on medium low covered.
The black beans were soaked the night before and cooked for over an hour. When they were cooked they were tender all the way through. It didn't matter to me if they were a little over cooked, because I mashed some of them to thicken the soup. I just used a potato masher but of course this is a personal preference.
I saved the water from the beans to add later if it was necessary. The beans were cooked with salt and bay leaves so the water had some flavour.
I always prefer to use broth, rather than water but it would still be good with just water. The ingredients added will do the flavouring as well. I sometimes buy a broth or use water with bullion cubes, but it's easy to make a very basic broth.
Basic vegetable broth
2 Carrots
2 Celery
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 handful parsley
5 or 6 peppercorns
2 or 3 bay leaves
Water to cover
Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour.
Broth can be made with your vegetable scraps. Baking the veggies in the oven first can make it even better. Adding other roots, or pepper, or mushrooms could be used as well. I always use the basic ingredients. I don't always use the same amounts. I just throw stuff in the pot.
Add the beans and the liquid then simmer together for 10 minutes or more. Adjust seasonings.
I happened to have corn on the cob. It must be in season somewhere. I'm seeing it in the stores now for a decent price. I decided to blanch it in hot water for 30 seconds then added to the soup.
At first I was going to add potatoes, but I didn't want them to turn black. I instead made mashed potato tortillas. I didn't intend to. It just was an after thought.
This is a soup that satisfies even without an added starch. Usually I have leftovers of soup for the freezer, but not this one. In fact all of the bean soups don't last with us.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.
design by: @KidSistersPhotos taken with a Nikon D7500 by me except for the ones of me taken by my other half
~~~ embed:1650669934794375171 twitter metadata:ODQ1OTU5NTc5fHxodHRwczovL3R3aXR0ZXIuY29tLzg0NTk1OTU3OS9zdGF0dXMvMTY1MDY2OTkzNDc5NDM3NTE3MXw= ~~~
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @jessiencasa, @marlyncabrera ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Thank you very much!😊
Hello @carolynstahl, I imagine that the black bean is the "caraota" in Venezuela we eat it basically stewed and in soups, it is also part of our typical dish "pabellon criollo", this bean is in great demand in the country and is prepared sweet or salty according to the region.
Greetings!
Yes it's carota. I really love them and some day will try the pabellon criollo to taste Venuzuela. I have never had them sweet but I know some places put them in desserts. In Asia they do that.
Thanks for dropping by!
Fantastic job! I really love the black beans, some times the cans trick you and call the red chilli beans black beans and even have pictures of black beans on them. I usually like to eat them raw though as part of a mexican style salad bowl that I do.
I have never had the black bean deception before haha. I often just buy in bulk and soak them, but the can is definitely convenient.
A bean salad is great too. Thanks very much for the comment.😊
Your story as a child reminds me of my daughter's, she didn't like black beans or caraotas as they are called in my country. Today, she loves them. Stewed or in soup they are so tasty. I loved seeing all your preparation. Greetings.
I was never introduced to carotas as a child, but I wish I had been. I think I would have liked them. But if someone would have told me about such a thing I would have thought it was strange. I finally had them and liked them right away.
Thanks for passing by and best wishes.
Join the foodie fun! We've given you a FOODIE boost. Come check it out at @foodiesunite for the latest community updates. Spread your gastronomic delights on and claim your tokens.
Thank you very much!
I had black beans for my tea, with parsley and rocket (arugula) in a salad. I used lemon juice in the dressing, another time lime would be good. This was a timely recipe, I can use it for the rest of the beans 😍
Oh yes nlack bean salad with lemon would be fantastic. Thank you for your comment. Have a great day.
Black beans 🫘😍
😁
https://reddit.com/r/Cocina_Creativa/comments/12upqf7/south_of_the_border_black_bean_soup/
https://reddit.com/r/Recetas_de_cocina/comments/12vryiu/south_of_the_border_black_bean_soup/
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @edwing357 ) sharing the post on Reddit as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
I'm wondering how different it tastes the black bean compared with the common (white) one which is the single one I ate in various forms. I don't even think we have black beans on this part of the world but you really made me curious to try it out one day :)
It doesn't taste much stronger but I would say it has a deeper more full bodied taste. I hope you can try it just to know, You could get them online I'm sure.
Thank you for passing by😊
Added to my bookmarks, when the time comes, it will definitely be on my menu. Congrats on your great post!
Thank you for your nice compliment. I'm sure you can do wonders with these.😊
Black bean soup is very unique and healthy vegan recipe. Definitely so tasty and delicious dish. You make perfectly. Your presentation is so good. Thanks a lot friend
I appreciate your kind words my friend. Thank you. I hope you are having a nice day.😊
Hello dear friend @carolynstahl good day
Here in Argentina, and especially in my city of Corrientes, we love this type of food, especially in winter, they are foods with a lot of calories and they help us cope with cold days.
I loved this recipe and especially the life story you have with it.
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe and how to prepare it.
Have a beautiful Sunday
Hello my friend. I really appreciate your visit and support. Thank you for your kind words. I wish you a great day.😊
Honestly, this soup teased me, but this is the first time I can make a post and see the details of the recipe that my mother shared, hoping that I can try this soup
Success is always mother, I hope you are always healthy 🥰
You are very kind. Thank you dear. I appreciate your kind comment.❤️
Uau! Looks delicious! I want to try this recipe!! Here in Brazil black beans are very popular!
Ah, my much appreciated @carolynstahl, this soup stole my heart. It reminds me of my childhood, as black bean soup is typical of my father's hometown (in Güiria, a Venezuelan state on the coast of Paria, with a heritage of Trinidadian flavors). There they add salted pork, with all the fat, and wheat flour dumplings; also, lots of root vegetables and plantain. As a child, I didn't like the that meat in the soup, so I asked my mother to give me dumplings instead. I see the colors in your soup and I think it looks wonderful. Black soup! Anyone would be scared, but you've made it so beautiful. How delicious it is!
Big hug!!!
Here in Venezuela, dear @carolynstahl , we have brown and red beans, but really, I have never seen black beans, let alone tried them, it would be interesting. Little brown beans with a black dot are very delicious in stews and even better in soups. I wish you success in your exotic food. Hugs.