PRESSURE COOKER BLACK BEAN SOUP

Pressure Cooker Black Bean Soup image

This inky soup, made in a pressure cooker, shows off black beans at their toothsome best. Adapted from the cookbook author and pressure-cooking maven Lorna Sass, the soup gets a bold finish with a mound of tomato-avocado salsa. It is hearty enough to serve for lunch or a light dinner.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories dinner, lunch, appetizer, main course

Time 1h

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoon mild or hot chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 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
1 large, ripe Hass avocado, diced
2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt

Steps:

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.
Add the water, beans, chorizo, garlic and bay leaves.
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.
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.
Stir well. Discard the bay leaves and add salt to taste. The soup will thicken on standing.
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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 336, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 43 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 12 grams, Protein 17 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 837 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams