BEAN SOUP

This is a popular soup for Lent, at times of fasting and on Fridays. When it features on the simple menus of local restaurants, everyone knows it as a soup made of dried beans with a texture that will vary depending on the cooking process and when it was cooked. It is usually thicker the second day. Apart from the garnishes recommended here, other suggestions include strips of fried tortilla, strips of fried pasilla chili, diced fresh tomato, etc.

INGREDIENTS:

Soup:

250 gr. dried beans, peeled

Water

2 tbsp olive oil

½ cup white onion, finely chopped

2 tsp garlic, finely chopped

1 cup tomato, chopped

2 cups nopales

5 leafy stems of coriander, chopped

2 tsp salt or to taste

Garnish:

6 tbsp olive oil

6 tsp fresh coriander, chopped

PREPARATION:

Cook the beans in 2 l. of water in a pressure cooker for about 30 min., or 2 h. in a normal pan. (It is normal for the beans to disintegrate.) At the end of the cooking process, there will be at least 1½ litres of stock. Heat the oil and lightly fry the onion and garlic, add the tomato and fry for another 5 min.. Add this sauce to the soup, add the nopales, chopped coriander and salt and boil for another 15 min..

TO SERVE:

Serve the soup in deep bowls and top with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and chopped coriander.