I developed this recipe while cooking for a client who has lots of food allergies, including all seeds. That meant no cumin, ever. To me, a world without cumin is incomplete. So I asked myself, what exactly would a soup without cumin be missing - Smokiness? Earthiness? Funk. And then, how could I bring that to this black bean soup without cumin? That’s where whole toasted dried chili peppers combined with already ground chipotle and smoked paprika came in, along with a hearty amount of onion and garlic that gets blended into the smoothness of the beans. Use the cumin if you can, but know that even if you leave it out of this soup, your experience will not be deficient.

Note about chili peppers and heat level: If you want the smokiness and fruitiness the chili peppers will provide without setting your mouth on fire, here are a few things to keep in mind. Choose peppers that have less intense heat, like Ancho and New Mexico (below left) or Pasilla (below right) as opposed to Chipotle, Guajillo and Pasilla Oaxaca. You can also control the heat by how long you simmer the soaked peppers in the black bean soup, and how much of the soaking liquid and how much of the rehydrated pepper you include in the blended soup. Add more of the soaking liquid, rehydrated peppers and especially their seeds to increase the heat. We often divide the soup before blending, incorporating more heat into one version and keeping the other fairly mild.  

Also, note: Ground Chipotle Chili or Chipotle Chili Powder, as called for in this recipe, is not necessarily the same as “chili powder”. Some store bought chili powders are made up of a blend of ground chili peppers, but also include other spices, like cumin or garlic, and additives like salt and anti-caking agents. Read the label on your chili powder to ensure you are using pure ground chili peppers. Or grind your own whole dried chili peppers into a powder using a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to spices.

Yield: 8 servings

What You Need:

• 2 whole dried chili peppers (see note)

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large red onion, diced

• 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili or chipotle chili powder, plus more to taste

• 7 cups cooked or four 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

• 8 cups (2 quarts) vegetable stock or broth

What You Do:

Arrange the whole dried chili peppers in a skillet and turn heat to medium high. Toast on each side for about 30 seconds, or until very fragrant. Put the chili peppers in a heat proof bowl and add boiling water to submerge them. Soak for about 20 minutes.

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. When hot, add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. 

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Gently sauté onion until very soft, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic with a few pinches of salt and sauté another 30-60 seconds.

4. Add the smoked paprika, cumin and ground chipotle. Sauté until fragrant. 

5. Add the beans, broth and  teaspoon kosher salt. Drain the chili peppers, reserving the liquid. Add the rehydrated chili peppers to the soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the beans and onion are super tender.

6. If you don’t want the soup to be too spicy, remove the chili pepper and set it aside. You can always blend it in later for more heat.

7. Transfer the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender in the pot. Blend until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. If you want more heat, add about ¼ cup of the reserved liquid from soaking the chilis or the rehydrated chili pepper. Add broth or water if needed to thin to the consistency of melted ice cream.

8. Reheat over medium heat. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, pepitas and diced avocado.

Recommended: Cook your own black beans from scratch in a pressure cooker (or Instant Pot). Soak 2 - 2½ cups dried black beans in 10 cups of water, in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse and put in a pressure cooker (or Instant pot). Submerge in fresh cool water. Add 2 bay leaves. Seal the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Turn off and allow pressure to release naturally. Drain, discard bay leaves, and use cooked beans in your soup.