For my Wizard of Earthsea menu this month, I really loved the idea of making a recipe in honor of Ged’s shadow monster, the otherworldly beast he unleashes when he accidentally creates a tear in reality trying to call on dead spirits (y’know…as you do). The monster was a wonderfully spooky antagonist, and its introduction was what really pulled me into the story.
A black food sounded perfect for a shadow monster, and I LOVE black bean soup. This particular recipe from Umami Girl became a quick favorite of mine. Both the ingredients list and the instructions are short and simple, and it’s delicious while keeping the flavors focused on the beans themselves. And it tastes great when paired with with breadsticks!
A
Shadow Monster Black Bean Soup
“But across the wall, facing him, there was a shadow. The shadow did not have the shape of man or beast. It was shapeless, scarcely to be seen, but it whispered at him, though there were no words in its whisperings, and it reached out towards him. And it stood on the side of the living, and he on the side of the dead.”
— A Wizard of Earthsea
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb black beans, dry
- 1 Vidalia onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt (The original recipe calls for 2, but I added 1/2 tsp at a time and was happy with 1 tsp.)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 cups good quality vegetable stock (I used my own homemade stock—which makes about 6 cups—and supplemented with a can of store bought)
Makes 4-6 bowls
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Give the beans a light rinse in a strainer. Put everything in a large pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and simmer 90 minutes or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Pour half the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot.
- Serve to a shadow monster as it escapes from a tear in reality to hunt you across the earth. Maybe the tasty soup will convince it to spare you! 😉
Check out my other black bean recipes!
[…] go great with soup, especially the Shadow Monster Black Bean Soup I posted last […]
I have so many canned black beans in the pantry I may have to try this is with those!
Doooo it! It’s one of my new favorite simple soups. ^.^ I’m planning on making a few more batches with some of the leftover whey from my farmer’s cheese post. I read you can replace some of the vegetable stock with it for deeper flavor.
…though I’d be sure to look up what changes you’ll need to make when subbing canned beans for dried in a soup. I imagine you’ll just want to heat it until the peppers are cooked through, and you’ll want to reduce the amount of veg stock (though I’m not sure by how much).