Mexican Black Bean & Chorizo Soup

I love this soup. On a rainy night like tonight, it's the perfect comfort food. I love it with a steaming hot slice of homemade cornbread dipped in, or with homemade spelt tortillas. Or even just on it's own. It's more of a stew than a soup - it's very filling. I change the amounts of the ingredients depending on what I have, or what I feel like... so the measurements are just guides. If you want to bulk it out to feed more people, add more beans. If you don't want to use chorizo sausages (ones without additives can be hard to find), try chicken thighs and add your homemade chicken stock paste and extra spices. Or try a vegetarian version using vegetable stock paste, and add in some cubed zucchini or eggplant and extra spices. Adjust chilli powder to taste - it may be a little hot for young children.

You can use either dry black beans and cook this long and slow in a slow cooker (overnight or all day on lowest temp - needs to cook for at least 9 hours), or you can use tinned black beans for a quicker version. I often make this in my slow cooker, and just chop the veges in the Thermomix.

For a quick and easy Thermomix version, use tinned beans, and just halve the recipe. Saute the onion, garlic and capsicum for 5 minutes, add tomatoes and chop speed 5 for a few seconds, then add everything else and cook on 100 degrees for about 30 minutes, reverse speed soft. (My amounts are approximate, so just make sure you don't go over the 2 litre mark.)

Serves 6.

1. Chop up the onion, garlic and capsicum in the Thermomix on speed 4 for 5 seconds:
- 1 onion, halved
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 green capsicum, quartered

2. Add ghee (or butter or coconut oil) and saute for 5 minutes at 100 degrees, sp 1:
- 30g ghee, butter or coconut oil
   Tip sauteed veges into the slow cooker.

3. Add tomatoes to Thermomix bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 5:
- 500-600g tomatoes, halved

4. Add to veges in slow cooker:
- chopped tomatoes
- 2 tins of black beans, or 1 1/2 to 2 cups pre-soaked, uncooked black beans
- 1 litre water (add 2 litres if using uncooked beans - keep them covered with water during cooking time)
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
- 6 sliced chorizo sausages
- 2 tspns Mexican chili powder
- 2 tspns ground cumin
- a pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tspn dried oregano
- 2 Tblspns vege or chicken stock paste (more or less to taste)
- 50g tomato paste, optional

5. Cook on high for 4 hrs or low for 8 or 9 hours. If using uncooked beans, cook on low for at least 9 hours.

6. You can mush it a bit at the end if you like with a potato masher (leave some unmushed beans), or leave it chunky. Serve with some cornbread or spelt tortillas, or over brown rice, or just on it's own with a salad on the side.

Variation: Omit the sausages and make the vegetarian version. Then the next day, place the leftovers in the slow cooker with some sliced up chicken breasts, adding some water, chicken stock paste, tomato paste, and more cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder & salt... Cook on high for up to 4 hours, or low for 8. Serve with corn chips and a leafy green salad. Delicious!