Crema de Frijoles Negras

750 grams of Frijoles de Olla
1.5 cups of chicken broth
1 corn tortilla, cut in quarters, then in thin strips
1/2 oz soft cheese. grated or cut in small dice
1 ancho chile, cut in thin strips

Put beans in the blender. (If they're hot, leave out the center cap on the lid and put a towel over the hole.) Add about a cup of chicken broth. Turn blender on about medium speed, then work up to the highest speed, adding broth as needed to get a nice creamy, not-too-thick/not-too-thin consistency.

Blend for 2-3 minutes to get the soup as smooth as possible. If you want a velvety-smooth soup, pass it through a food mill or a chinois strainer (or both, with the finest mesh last). Return it to the pan and warm the soup.

While the soup is warming, cut the tortilla into thin strips. Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray (or a thin film of olive oil). Fry the tortilla strips until crispy. Toward the end of the cooking time, add the ancho chile strips.

Serve soup with cheese, tortilla strips, and chiles to garnish.

Makes about 4 1-cup servings.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user REVJVH.