Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Soup

It’s taken a while, but I finally love cooking. I used to be the impatient type, only wanting to cook for as little time as possible so I could enjoy the best part – the eating.

Alex has always loved the process, so he’s had to drag me through it, helping me learn how to cut vegetables so that it’s soothing instead of maddening, helping me resist the urge to watch the pot until it boils, or hover over piping hot baked goodies asking whether they’re cool enough to sample yet. Thank goodness that’s worn off, little by little. I’m finally starting to understand the rhythm and waiting in cooking.

A few years ago, I would have short-cutted a roasted vegetable soup. Why waste the time roasting the veggies? Just throw them in the pot and cook them down as fast as possible.

Those of you more experienced chefs know that the more time invested in a recipe, generally the better it tastes. So these days we’re ok with taking the extra time to roast, or simmer, or chop. It feels good to make it the right way if there’s time, instead of trying to take the easy way out.

That said, this is a lovely soup, and really doesn’t take too much time to put together, though it’s not a quick fix. It’s based on a recipe from the talented Gwyneth Paltrow, and has a subtle, intriguing flavor. We picked up our tomatillos at our farmer’s market – check one near you to see if they’re in season.

We’re looking forward to an early weekend; my parents are in town and we’re hoping to play hookie on Friday and enjoy the gorgeous fall weather that we’ve been lucky to have here in Indiana. What are you up to?

Tomatillo and Black Bean Soup

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4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Yield: 4

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Ingredients

• 12 small tomatillos
• 2 red onions
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 3 garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 15-ounce can beans
• 15-ounce can hominy
• 8 radishes
• 3 green onions
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped + 3 sprigs
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lime

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Roughly chop 12 small tomatillos, 2 red onions, and 2 jalapeno peppers (remove the seeds). Cut 3 garlic cloves into quarters.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chopped veggies on the sheet, drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the hominy and black beans. Also, prepare the garnishes: thinly slice 8 radishes and 3 green onions, and chop 1/4 cup cilantro.
5. Add the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables with 1 quart vegetable broth (alternatively, use a blender).
6. Add 3 sprigs of cilantro, hominy and black beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
7. Remove the cilantro sprigs. Pour into bowls, and garnish with green onions, radishes, cilantro, and fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Notes

Adapted from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen

About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author and recipe developer of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the “best vegetarian cookbooks” by Epicurious, and a recipe developer and healthy & sustainable food advocate behind the award-nominated food blog A Couple Cooks.

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Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is photographer and recipe developer of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the “best new cookbooks” by Bon Appetit, and a recipe developer, photographer, and technical expert at A Couple Cooks.

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