Comments on: black bean soup + toasted cumin seed crema

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:11:37 +0000

I made this tonight for the second time! First time this past fall before I got a crockpot. As I recall, we simply simmered the beans over low heat for a few hours in a dutch oven. Obviously we loved it, because we just made it again today in the crockpot for the first time. Delicious!

We doubled the recipe this time. I threw everything in the crock pot around 1:00 PM, and the soup was definitely edible when we ate at 8:00 PM. Flavor-wise it was fab, but the beans didn’t get as soft as I would’ve liked. Next time I would probably let this cook overnight. That way if it’s ready in the morning, we can turn it off and warm up again later when we’re ready. And if it isn’t ready, we can let it cook a bit longer.

Wonderful recipe. We served it with chopped cilantro, the crema (with a bit of lime zest added in), extra lime juice, and cornbread. So good!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:59:41 +0000

I made a cheaper version with yellow onion, frozen peppers, bottled lime juice, and no creme fraiche, and it was still delicious. It took 5 hours on high in my slow cooker.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:28:45 +0000

My first experience with a slow cooker. Delicious!

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:51:24 +0000

Sounds quite interesting. Will try this black bean soup for sure!

By: deb

deb — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:12:49 +0000

Patti — The slow cooker takes more time, but it allows you to set it and walk away — go to work, run errands, go to bed for the night, etc. and then return to a fully cooked dish. I wouldn’t, of course, leave my apartment if the stove was on. I don’t have experience working with a pressure cooker (I don’t have one) but I do understand that they speed things up.

By: Patti

Patti — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:52:35 +0000

Maybe I’m missing something but whats the deal with the slow cooker and this recipe (or cooking any beans)? Does it make the beans taste better than if you had soaked and cooked? And why not cook this in a pressure cooker which would be much faster?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:50:22 +0000

I used this recipe for a mexican dinner party i threw this weekend, but made a few changes. I smoked a few chickens with hickory chips and took their bones to make a smoked chicken stock. I used that stock in place of the water. Then I served the soup with the pulled smoked chicken meat i saved. Hands down it was the best black bean soup I’ve ever eaten. Thanks for the recipe!

By: mickie

mickie — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:10:46 +0000

I made this tonight – delicious! I was hunting around for a recipe at 5pm, though, so I used canned beans (sorry. Will do dried beans next time) but it was still fabulous! I also added some carrots for extra veggies. The kids LOVED helping to grind the cumin in the mortar. This will be added to the menu list for meatless monday!

By: Lindsay C

Lindsay C — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:36:39 +0000

Deb and friends~ Wanted to pass along that these are my go-to beans for everything, not just soup. My favorite is to use them in huevos rancheros or tacos. Thanks Deb!

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:30:28 +0000

I soaked my beans overnight in an attempt to ensure a faster cooking time (and decreased the water by about 3 C), and it still took 6 hours on high in my 6 quart Hamilton Beach SC. Great soup, though! I threw in some extra dried chipotle at the end to spice it up some more, and I added some lime zest to the cumin seed crema. Great combination!