Mexican tomato & bean soup

Mexican tomato & bean soup
This fresh, piquant summer soup combines many of the ingredients you might find in a feisty salsa, but in this case they re all souped up. Add more chillies if you like it hot, and a handful of fresh sweetcorn kernels, sliced straight from the cob, is a good addition if you have them. A scattering of diced avocado can replace the soured cream, if you prefer.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 medium-hot green chillies, such as jalapeño, deseeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
600ml vegetable stock
200ml roasted tomato sauce or passata
400g ripe tomatoes, cored, deseeded and finely chopped
400g tin black beans or black eyed beans, drained and rinsed
A handful of oregano, chopped
A pinch of sugar
Juice of 1 lime
A small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To finish

4-6 tablespoons soured cream (optional)
A small handful of coriander, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, add most of the onions (reserving a little to finish the soup) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, chillies and cumin and stir for a minute.

Add the stock, roasted tomato sauce or passata, tomatoes, beans, oregano and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve the soup topped with dollops of soured cream, if you like, and scattered with the reserved red onion, chopped coriander and freshly ground pepper.

 

From the book River Cottage Veg Everyday! – Bloomsbury Publishing  

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigns such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste and his latest, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita.