RECIPE TWENTY FIVE: Tuesday September 19th - pressure cooker black bean soup

BACK STORY:
Another New York Times recipe, I misread this as a slow cooker black bean soup. I don't have a pressure cooker so needed to make a ton of edits, but it still sounded simple and delicious.

NOTES:
Brought this to Dylan and Rachael's to eat and meet Calvin! I made this on the stove and with canned beans instead of dry, to accommodate not having a pressure cooker. I used Trader Joes soy chorizo, and simmered the soup for about 30 minutes. The avocado salsa was delicious as a topping and I also made it with the yogurt/cumin/lime juice mix from Smitten Kitchen.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Could be super easy with a pressure cooker but the stovetop version was also fairly simple and came together quickly.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015847-pressure-cooker-black-bean-soup?mcubz=1

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SOUP:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon mild or hot chile powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 7 cups water
• 1 pound (2 1/2 cups) black beans, picked over and rinsed
• 4 ounces diced Spanish chorizo
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
•  Salt to taste

FOR THE AVOCADO SALSA:

• 1 large, ripe Hass avocado, diced
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ⅓ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
•  Salt

•  

  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. In a 6-quart or larger stovetop pressure cooker or an electric pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium-high heat or using the sauté function. Stir in the onions, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
2. Add the water, beans, chorizo, garlic and bay leaves.
3. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. If using an electric pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat if using a stovetop cooker, and allow the pressure to come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape.
5. Stir well. Discard the bay leaves and add salt to taste. The soup will thicken on standing.
6. Just before serving, prepare the avocado salsa by tossing the ingredients together in a bowl. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each portion with a large dollop of salsa.