Basic Black Bean Soup

Fill a large pot with water and set over high heat (this is for the corn. I just do this on the indoor grill since I don’t have an outdoor grill and it’s pretty easy.) Shuck the corn and drop it into the pot. Get that boiling and add some salt.

While the corn is boiling, heat a soup pot over medium/high heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom.

Chop your onion and celery and add them to the pot. Add a bit of salt, cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Let that cook until the onions are translucent and the celery is soft. About 10 minutes or so. Add your garlic and chili powder and let that cook for another minute or so.

Once the corn is tender, about 8 – 10 minutes (prick it with a fork, it should easily penetrate the kernel), remove it to a paper towel and let it dry completely.

If you have an indoor grill, get that screaming hot. Brush the corn with a little olive oil and get that on the grill. Give it a few turns every few minutes.

Drain the can of beans a little. You can keep some liquid, but just get about half the liquid out.

Add the beans to the pot as well as enough stock to cover the mixture (you can easily swap out the stock for vegetable if you want a vegetarian meal). If you have a potato masher, this is a good time to use it, if not, the back of a wooden spoon will do. I give the whole mixture a good mash. I don’t care if it’s too smooth, but a good mashing is nice.

Kick the heat on the soup up to high and let that cook together for about 10 – 15 minutes. If you have a food mill get it out. If not, use a food processor or blender.

I put my food mill over a large bowl. Spoon about 3/4 of the soup mixture into the mill and get going. I leave about a 1/4 of the soup in the soup pot for a little texture and I process the rest. I personally don’t want all of it to be smooth, I like some chunks. If you’re using a blender or processor, use the same technique.

Once you’re done, pour the soup back into the pot and bring it down to a simmer.

By now, your corn should be ready – nice and caramelized and browned. Hold the corn upright with the base in a large bowl. Use a knife to carefully shave the kernels off of the cob and into the bowl and set aside.

Let the soup simmer at least 20 minutes, or for as long as you’d like. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Give it a taste and re-season as necessary.

Ladle the soup into your bowl and top with grilled corn kernels, sour cream and cilantro (or parsley if you’re one of those people).

Enjoy!