Timothy Pakron is a photographer, food stylist, and recipe developer and the creator of Mississippi Vegan. Like many of us, he gets nostalgic when it comes to black bean soup: "When I was at college in Charleston, SC, there was a little coffee shop near my dorm called Kudu. I vividly remember walking in one fall day and seeing that their soup du jour was a black bean soup. The air was cool, crisp and dry, and a cup of hot soup seemed like a fantastic idea. After ordering some and enjoying each bite, I noticed how much it hit the spot. So much so that I still think about it to this day! This recipe is a tribute to that moment and I must admit, taking one bite of this soup propels me back to that exact memory." 

Black Beans

• 1 lb of dried black beans such as Rancho Gordo Midnight Black beans, sorted and soaked
• 10 cups water (1.9 L)
• 1 strip kombu (the size of a sticky note / about .2 oz or 6 g)
• 3-4 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
  
• ⅓ cup olive oil (66 g)
  
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
• Big pinch sea salt

Vegetables

• 3 ears of corn or 1 ½ cups frozen kernels
• Drizzle olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 carrots (about ½ lb or 227 g), cut into bite-size chunks
• Big pinch sea salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped (any variety)
• 8 fat garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large jalapeno or 3 small, hot chilies (optional)
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Additional Toppings

• Coconut Rice (optional)
• 2 large avocados, chopped
• Thick, plain, unsweetened coconut yogurt (optional)
• Squeeze of lime juice
• Tortilla chips
  

Serves 6

1. Soak the beans: Sort through the dried beans and give them a rinse. Cover with a few inches of fresh water and soak overnight.
   
2. Start boiling the beans: When ready to cook, drain the soaked black beans and rinse them thoroughly. Add them to a large pot along with the water, kombu, bay leaves, and salt. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the kombu and bay leaves, and scoop off any foam. Then add the ⅓ cup of olive oil along with the tamari and rice vinegar, and mix well. Boil for 5 additional minutes, uncovered, then reduce the heat to just below medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring every so often. (While the beans cook, you can cut your vegetables and proceed with the next few steps.)
   
3. Toast the pumpkin seeds: Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the pumpkin seeds and a big pinch of sea salt. Toast for about 5 minutes, or until golden and fragrant, stirring or shaking often to prevent burning. Once toasted, set aside.
   
4. Char the corn: If using full ears of corn, you can char them on a gas stovetop, under the broiler in the oven, or on a grill. (This is also a great use for leftover grilled corn!) If you’re using frozen corn kernels, you can char them in the skillet you used to toast the pumpkin seeds. Place it over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add the corn kernels and cook, undisturbed, until deeply golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Give them a toss and let them cook for another minute or two, until deeply browned all over. Set aside, reserving about ½ cup to garnish. (If using whole ears of charred corn, set one cob aside to garnish and shave the kernels off the remaining two cobs to sauté in the next step.)
   
5. Sauté the vegetables: Bring the same skillet over medium-high heat, and add the final 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the onions, carrots, charred corn, and a big pinch of salt. Sauté for 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. At this point, add the tomatoes (leaving some to garnish), along with the garlic, jalapeno or chilies, cumin, chili powder, coriander, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, cinnamon, black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to evenly distribute the spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.
   
6. Blend the beans: After the beans have been simmering for at least 30 minutes, taste them to see if they’re tender. (Note: They will continue to cook for at least another 20 minutes, so they don’t have to be fully soft. They just have to be able to be blended.) Once the beans have reached this point, remove 2 cups of beans and set aside. Use an immersion blender to blend the remaining beans in the pot until creamy. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth! The goal is to create a thick, gravy-like consistency as the soup continues to reduce. (Once blended, it may appear quite foamy, but this layer of foam dissipates as the soup reduces.)
   
7. Finish the soup: Once blended, add back the reserved beans and sautéed vegetables, using a thin spatula to get any browned tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, or until the desired texture is achieved. For a final fresh boost of flavor, add most of the chopped cilantro, leaving some to garnish. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, uncovered, and give it a taste. Add more salt and pepper to your liking.
   
8. Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and add a scoop of the coconut rice (if using). Top with any variation of chopped avocado, coconut yogurt, the reserved chopped tomato and charred corn, the toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. If not served with rice, this is lovely with a side of tortilla chips!
   

notes:

• If you don’t have a jalapeño or any small chilies, you can use ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes instead.
• Like most soups, I find that this one tastes much better after a good chill in the fridge, allowing the flavors to develop and marry.
•  If it’s tomato season, any ripe tomato will do. If I’m not making this during summertime, I like to use cherry tomatoes. In a pinch, you could use canned, diced tomatoes in the soup and omit them as a garnish.