Black Bean Chipotle Puree

This exciting, thick soup marries the dark colors and flavors of the beans and chipotle chiles, but there’s quite a few other ingredients as well. Serve this with a hearty bread and your favorite sharp cheese. Note that this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

•   2 quarts water
•   1 tablespoon salt
•   3 cups black beans, cleaned and soaked overnight
•   ½ stalk celery, chopped with leaves
•   3 large dried chipotle chiles, approximately 3 ounces
•   3 cups dry red wine
•   1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
•   1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
•   ½ teaspoon ground ginger
•   1 tablespoon finely ground white pepper
•   2 tablespoons Mexican leaf oregano
•   ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
•   1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•   1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
•   3 tablespoons chopped garlic
•   1 cup domestic mushrooms, chopped
•   1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
•   1/4 cup peanut oil
•   1/3 cup tomato puree
•   2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
•   3/4 cup raw honey
•   Lime wedges for garnish
•   Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

In a large pot, combine the water, salt, black beans, celery, chipotles, wine, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, oregano, parsley and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
In a skillet, combine the onion, garlic, mushrooms, olive oil, and peanut oil and sauté until the onions are soft. Add this mixture to the pot and keep on a steady boil until the beans are soft, about 2 hours (but this can vary greatly, so check them as they’re cooking). Add water as needed, but by the end there should be little water in the pot.
Allow the beans to cool. In a bowl, combine the tomato puree, vinegar, and honey and mix with the beans. Puree this mixture in a food processor.
Reheat over very low heat (or use a double boiler), adding water to the desired consistency. Serve garnished with the lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Ingredients

2 large or 3 small dried chipotles

8 roma tomatoes, cut in half

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large red onion, julienned

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

1 gallon chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt to taste

Instructions

Rehydrate the chiles in very hot water for 20 minutes, or until they are soft. Place the chiles in a blender or food processor with a little of the broth, and puree until smooth.

Grill the tomatoes over an open fire or roast them in the oven until they are blackened. Remove the skins.

Heat the oil in a sauce pot and sauté the onion and chicken until the onions are transparent. Add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes have broken down.

Add the chile puree, lime juice, and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender.

Add the cilantro and serve.