Black Bean Soup with Chorizo Sausage

E found this recipe in a magazine at George Washington's house. Mr. and Mrs. (not Martha) Washington lived in a house that E was restoring in the Shenandoah mountains. George Washington also made us some bbq sauce, but that's a whole other post. Mrs. Washington told E that she thought Mr. Washington's parent's drank too much "apple cider" when they decided to name him George.

We serve this soup with heated flour tortillas for dipping.

Black Bean Soup with Chorizo Sausage

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 of a medium onion, finely chopped (use more if you like)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 canned chipotle chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cans (15 oz) black beans (2 drained, 1 undrained)
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 lb. chorizo, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt & Pepper

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat oil until simmering. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until softened. Add garlic along with chipotle chile, cumin & oregano and cook; stirring until fragrant, ~ 2 minutes. Add the black beans and chicken stock and simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes. Using potato masher, coarsely crush 3black beans.

2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Add sausage to the beans along with lime and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer coup for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Recipe credit: I found this recipe in Food & Wine in 2002 and can be be found here. We've changed it up a bit through the years (as reflected above) to reflect our tastes (as usual).