Tepoztlán-Style Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons light olive oil
- ½ white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
- 2 guajillo or New Mexico dried chiles, seeds, veins and stems removed
- 4 large plum tomatoes, stem removed, cut into quarters
- 2 cups cooked pinto or bayo beans
- Salt
- Garnishes: Fried julienne tortillas, cubed avocado, fried guajillo chile rings, queso ranchero, crushed pork rinds, fried epazote, cream
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, warm the oil, add the onion and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the chiles and stir while cooking, taking care not to brown them.
- Mix in the tomatoes and salt; cook everything over medium-high heat while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft.
- Pour in the cooked beans and sauté for another minute. Carefully purée mixture in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and season to taste with salt. Adjust consistency, if necessary, with water or stock. Simmer for a few minutes and serve topped with any garnishes from list.
INTELLIGENT INGREDIENTS
My abuelita would blurt out dichos with a completely serious expression—a glimpse of her dark sense of humor—while offering helpful perspective, and often a knowing conclusion to any conversation.
Here are some of her (and now my) favorites:
Al mejor cocinero se le queman los frijoles.
Even the best cook burns beans. (Errors are inevitable, we just have to keep going.)
A darle la vuelta a la tortilla.
Turn the tortilla over. (It’s time to move on.)
El comal le dijo a la olla que tiznada estás
The griddle told the pot, “Look how sooty you are.” (Take a good look at ourselves before judging others.) Another iteration of this would be, “El burro hablando de orejas.” (The donkey’s talking about big ears.)
Las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso.
Clear accounts and thick chocolate. (Honesty in business and friendship is important.)
No hay caldo que no se enfríe.
There is no broth that does not get cold. (Everything passes; time always tells.)
Imposible empezar a comer por la segunda cucharada.
You can’t start eating from a second spoon. (Take projects or situations one step at a time.)
En todos lados se cuecen habas.
Fava beans are cooked everywhere. (Nothing is perfect, it’s part of the human condition, and problems and inconveniences will be met, regardless of circumstances.)
About the author
Analuisa Béjar loves exploring flavor routes as the chef at her Sunny Bakery Cafe in Carmel Valley. She is a recent transplant from Mexico City, where she was a food critic, award-winning writer, editor, recipe developer, culinary teacher and organizer of Latin American gastronomy competitions.
