We love our soups, here! There’s nothing quite like sitting down all cosy inside in the winter especially when it’s windy, rainy and horribly cold outside - which happened a lot this year! So that’s why this spicy Mexican soup was our go-to lunch for the whole of winter this year. It’s creamy, rich and so so warming - add some more chilli powder if you need a spicier punch for those colder days! We toasted our own tortilla chips to add a little extra crunch - so tasty!

Ingredients

20g butter

1 stick of celery - chopped

1 onion - chopped

2 garlic cloves - crushed

2 medium carrots - chopped

1 red pepper - chopped

1 vegetable stock cube/ stock pot

400ml water 

150g sweetcorn - tinned or frozen 

200g black beans (half a can) plus a few beans for garnish

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 can chopped tomatoes

salt and ground black pepper to  taste

To Garnish

1 tsp vegetable oil mixed with ¼ tsp paprika 

sour cream

black beans

fresh coriander 

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan - gently cook the onion and garlic until sort. Add the chilli, cumin and paprika and cook for 1 minute. 

2. Add the water, stock pot/cube, celery, carrots, pepper and potato mix well and bring to boil - reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 

3. Add the sweetcorn, beans (reserving some for garnish) and tomatoes - return to simmer and cook for 3-4 mins. 

4. Using a hand blender or liquidiser blend the soup till smooth. 

5. If required, season with salt and pepper to taste

6. Pour in a bowl, add a few of the reserved black beans and garnish with a drizzle of the oil and paprika mix, sour cream and coriander.