Bon Appétit Magazine says to “choose dried chiles that are fairly flexible, a sign they’re not too old” when preparing this Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano Chiles.
Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano
Print This Recipe Yield 6Source Adapted from Bon Appétit MagazinePublishedSoup can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh poblano chiles
- raw shelled green pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 large dried pasilla or ancho chile (stemmed, seeds removed)
- 2 tablespoon bacon fat (or olive oil if you prefer)
- 1 large onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 4 clove garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 1 (14½-oz.) can diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 4 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- 2 (14½-oz.) cans black beans (drained)
- ½ cup roughly grated or crumbled queso fresco
- cilantro sprigs (to taste)
- Lime wedges (to taste, for serving)
Directions
Roast the peppers: Char poblano chiles by laying them, one at a time, directly over a gas flame, turning occasionally with tongs until blackened on all sides. Place them in a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, set aside until cool; rub off the blackened skin, remove stems and seeds, then finely chop.
Meanwhile, toast pepitas in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Toast dried pasilla chile in same skillet until slightly darkened and pliable, about 1 minute per side; transfer to plate to cool, then roughly chop.
Heat bacon fat in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add tomatoes and chopped pasilla chile, and blend until smooth.
Return tomato mixture to Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until quite thick and pastey, 6–8 minutes. Stir in broth; season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened, 10–15 minutes. Stir in black beans and poblano chiles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Serve soup topped with queso fresco, cilantro sprigs and pumpkin seeds, with lime wedges alongside.
