Why this recipe works sopa tarasca, as this silky bean soup is called in its southwest Mexico home, features deep chile flavor from three different varieties. Ancho chiles provide subtle sweetness, canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce contribute smoky, spicy flavor with a bit of acidity, and a fresh jalapeño offers bright vegetal notes. Pureeing the chiles with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and oregano in a blender created a vibrant puree, which we cooked in hot oil to concentrate its flavor. Adding the broth to this rich base allowed us to scrape up the flavorful browned bits on the bottom of the pot, and cooking the beans in that aromatic broth infused them with flavor. Serve with toasted pepitas, chopped fresh cilantro, and Mexican crema or sour cream. If you are pressed for time you can “quick brine” your beans. In step 1, combine the salt, water, and beans in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe.
SERVES: 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus 8 hours soaking time)
INGREDIENTS:
- Salt and pepper
- 8 ounces (1¼ cups) dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
- 1½ ounces (3 or 4) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces (¾ cup)
- 2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
- 1 onion, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, halved, and seeded
- 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus extra as needed
- 2 bay leaves
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Dissolve 1½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Toast anchos in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer to blender and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, chipotle, and oregano and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ancho-tomato mixture and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened in color and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in broth, beans, and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until beans are tender, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, process soup in clean, dry blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to again-empty pot, adjust consistency with extra broth as needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
