Smoky chipotle and bean soup

I have been yearning for this soup all week! The rain and cold have arrived and it’s definitely feeling time for something that deeply warms and nourishes. The combination of flavours here is OUTSTANDING!! Chipotle chillies are mild and smoky used in Mexican cooking and absolute magic happens with the combination of cumin, ginger, smoked paprika and fresh coriander. Those who have tried this soup always want more…. trust me! This quantity is great as it gives you enough for lunch during the week and is all I usually want with its wonderful richness of nutrients. It will keep for a few days in the fridge and like many soups and casseroles, the flavour infuses even more overnight.

Ingredients

• 1 x 400 g can Brown lentils  ( by all means soak your own dried beans and lentils and cook completely first if you wish to use in place of canned ones)
• 1 x 400 g can Red kidney beans
• 1 x 400g can Black beans
• 2 TBS Olive oil
• 1 Carrot roughly diced
• 1 Red onion chopped
• 1 Red capsicum (pepper) diced
• 1 Yellow capsicum (pepper) diced
• 1 tsp finely chopped or grated Fresh ginger
• 6 cloves of Garlic sliced finely
• 1 TBS Sweet smoked Paprika
• 1 TBS ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce chopped ( find in the Mexican section of supermarket)
• 4 Ripe tomatoes chopped
• 4 Bay leaves
• 2 cups Vegetable stock- buy a powdered or cubes and follow directions for making up to 2 cups (if gluten free, check this stock is a suitable brand)
• Water if needed to thin the soup
• Salt and Pepper

For serving

• 1/2 cup fresh Coriander (cilantro) herb
• Lemon wedges

Method

1. In a large saucepan, add the oil, carrot, onion, capsicums (peppers), ginger, garlic, paprika, cumin and chipotle chillies. Cook gently for a few minutes until the spices become fragrant.
2. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and vegetable stock. Adjust the thickness with extra water as needed to make a thickish and not too watery soup. (I usually wait until the soup has the beans added before deciding if I need extra water). Bring to the boil and then gently simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Add the drained cans of brown lentils, kidney beans and black beans. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Add water if needed to thin a little. I like the soup quite thick.
4. Check seasoning for salt and pepper.
5. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves before serving.
6. To serve, sprinkle on fresh coriander (cilantro) herb and serve with a couple of lemon wedges to squeeze into the soup.
7. This stores in the fridge really well for a few days. And alternatively it freezes well too in portions for later use.