Bean and Chorizo Soup with Croutons

It's another football Sunday, and while I was out buying goods for tonight's dinner, Husband decided to order a pizza.  Over two hours later, still no pizza, and Husband looked to me and said "do you have a plan B?"  Of course I did, being organized Wife Extraordinaire.  I saw something similar on KQED's Jacques Pepin site, and was skeptical, no soup could be that easy and be really good.  The TV clip took about 10 seconds.  Well, it really was that easy and that good.  Pepin's recipe calls for about 4 ingredients - chorizo, white beans, chicken stock, and heavy cream.  I replaced the cream with beer, to good end.  I really wanted this soup to be white for the picture, thinking it would be so pretty studded with bits of chorizo floating about, sprinkled with a little smoked paprika.  Alas, I added one can of white beans and Husband and I looked at each other - this would never feed us - and only had black beans left, so it turned out more black, but that's what happens sometime.

Chorizo, a Spanish pork sausage typically flavored heavily with chiles and smoked paprika, has an earthy, almost gamey fatness; by which I don't mean it's fatty (although being sausage, it is that, too), but the flavor is round and full.  A little goes a long way, and that is why this soup can be so simple and yet so good.  Today I used two sausages, but when I make this again, I think I will use only one.  My chorizos came from the Kroeger & Sons Sausage Company, located in Cincinnati's Findlay Market, where I journeyed while Husband was in Italy.  Their sausages are all outstanding, although I believe ownership has recently changed.

This really is the perfect lunch for a game day.  It takes so little time and babysitting that you can make it during commercial breaks with one eye on the TV.

(recipe in extended post)

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup - serves 2

cooking spray

1 chorizo sausage (about 6 ounces), coarsely chopped

2 cans black OR white beans, or one of each, drained

1 cup beef stock

1/2 cup beer

1/2 day-old baguette, cut into 1/2" cubes

good olive oil

salt

pepper

splash red wine or apple cider vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat.  Crumble in the chorizo and cook through, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes). 

Toss the baguette cubes with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until toasted but still a little chewy in the center - this usually takes about 10 minutes, but check after 8 minutes just to be sure. 

Place the beans and stock in a blender and blend until nearly smooth.

To finish the soup, deglaze your pan with the beer, scraping up all the brown bits, and allow the beer to reduce by half (3 minutes or so).  Add the bean puree and stir.  Taste and add salt and pepper according to taste.  I like to add a little splash (scant tablespoon) of vinegar, just to cut the richness a little. Continue stirring until everything is hot, about 3 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and top with croutons.  You could also top with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, and a little Tabasco.

Great for a chilly day (never mind it's 80 degrees outside).