Super Simple Black Bean Soup ~ and super quick, too!!

The ladies of The Kiva~ February 1993
 Me, Chef Rene & my server, Lucinda

Long, long ago, (20+ years) I used to work for Club Med as a speciality restaurant manager.   When I was at my assignment in Colorado, (at the now closed) Copper Mountain ski village, my restaurant was called ~ The Kiva.  Our specialty was having individual hot cooking stones/slabs brought right out to the table and the diners would cook the various sliced meats/seafood themselves.  It was a lively restaurant ~ wine, music and conversation flowed every evening and a great time was had by all.

Well, one day, my chef was out skiing, she forgot the time and got back late to the restaurant...she also forgot to make the soup starter.  Oops!  We didn't discover it until just before the restaurant opened for the evening.  She made a frantic assessment of the kitchen and came up with this incredibly easy and wonderfully simple Black Bean Soup recipe.  She gave it an elegant, yet simple garnish and out to the guests her on-the-fly soup went.

It was the hit of the week!!  We had guests requesting we serve it every night.  When asked for the recipe, I had to tell them it was the chef's secret.  Little did they know... teehee  Since Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, I decided to finally let the cat out of the bag.  Try it for a quick meal or as a soup starter, I think you're really gonna like it.  I'm sure you'll like how easy it is to prepare, I know I do.  :) Enjoy!

Super Simple Black Bean Soup

serves 2-4 depending on how big your can of beans & bowls are

Ingredients

• 1 can of your favorite black beans (choose whatever flavor you like or size can that works for your needs)
• water or broth ~ add by the 1/4 cup until you get the soup consistency you like
• salt & pepper, to taste

• Garnishes to consider... ~ fresh cilantro, sour cream, Greek yogurt, avocado slices, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onion, cheese, hot sauce for drizzling, etc.

Directions

Dump the can of beans, along with the juice, into a sauce pan and reheat until hot.  Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the beans until pretty smooth.  Add 1/4 cup water/broth at a time, until you get the soup to the thickness you like.  Add salt/pepper, to taste.  Garnish with cilantro, sour cream/yogurt, shredded cheese or whatever you like...

See, told you it was SUPER easy!  :)