Black Bean Soup & Toasted Cumin Seed Crema

A rich and smoky soup - everything you'd want in a black bean bowl of goodness. You can make the crema or skip it, but I would recommend giving it a try. We ate this the first night as a soup with some naan on the side and the second night over rice with pico de gallo, queso fresco, and avocado. Absolutely delicious both ways.

From Smitten Kitchen, with some tweaks by me

Ingredients:
~1 tbs. olive oil
~2 medium red onions, chopped
~1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
~1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped (make it easy on yourself by chopping peppers and onion in a mini food processor!)
~4 cloves garlic, minced
~4 tsp. ground cumin
~2 tbs. smoked paprika
~1 16oz. package dried black beans
~1 tbs. chipotle chiles in adobo (I remove the seeds from them before I chop - also add about 1 tsp. adobo sauce for that smoky flavor)
~7 cups chicken stock
~2 tbs. lime juice
~2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
~1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

For the crema:
~1 tbs whole cumin seeds
~1 cup Mexican crema or crème fraiche (you can sub sour cream or plain yogurt if you can't find it)
~salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 5qt. or larger Dutch oven or soup pot.
2. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika and stir one minute.
3. Add beans and chipotles, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a full boil for one minute and then reduce to a gentle simmer.
4. Partially cover pot and cook until beans have softened - about 2 and a half hours. If not quite soft, let them cook another half hour.
5. Make the crema (if using): place cumin in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toast until slightly golden brown and place in spice grinder or use mortar and pestle and grind until coarse. Stir into cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Use an immersion blender to partially blend soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer two cups of beans to a blender or food processor to puree and then return to pot.
7. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed.
8. Serve in bowls and top with crema (or sour cream/yogurt) and any other toppings you'd like.