Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

I have been a little soup crazy this winter. Perhaps the most soup ever produced in my kitchen is directly proportional to the most snow ever fallen in Chicago in a single winter. (well, maybe not ever but this has to be close!) This black bean soup is actually one of my husband’s specialties. He loves chorizo and any excuse to buy it and eat it.

This soup freezes well so you might want to make a double batch! Add a spicy pepper to fire the soup up even more, try different garnishes, serve with tortilla chips and guacamole or use leftovers to top nachos.

You know those Fridays when you just couldn’t be happier that it is weekend?! Ahhh… I’m having one of those. Happy weekend everyone…

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
3 cups dried black beans
1 3/4 lb. chorizo sausage
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 1/2 qt beef stock
4 T finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T finely chopped fresh chives
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro

Remove casings from the sausages. In a large sauce pan, warm the oil over medium hbeat. Add the sausage meet and brown, breaking up the meat. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the fat. Return the pan to the heat and add onion, garlic and celery and saute until onions are translucent (2-3minutes).

Rinse the beans. Put them in the pan with the meat and add stock with parsley, oregano, cumin and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until the beans are very tender (2-3 hours). Add water as necessary to keep the beans moist.

Discard the bay leaves. Pour a few ladels full into a blender and blend until smooth and then return to pan. OR, use an immersion blender in the pan, pulsing a until you have pureed some of the beans. Add the salt to taste and adjust other seasonings as needed.

Garnish with sour cream, chives and cilantro.