Pinto Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

This time of the year I just want to sit next to the fire (it is more like an electric heater) to read a good book or watch movies while enjoying a cup of champurrado, Mexican chocolate, tea or just a steamy cup of soup. I enjoy soups all year long, but I really crave them when the temperatures hit the 40°F and lower. And that’s where we were last week here in Central Ohio. It was so cold that I was looking for excuses to turn the oven on to keep the kitchen warm. So I decided to make a soup with something roasted in it. That’s how this soup was born, a warming soup with a lot of flavor.

Pinto bean and roasted garlic soup
The ingredients:

• 2 garlic heads
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans, drained
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 3 cups chicken broth, or if you cook your own pinto beans 3 cups of the broth where they were cooked
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• baked tortilla strips and avocado for garnish

The how-to:

1. Roast unpeeled garlic in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes.
2. When it is roasted let it cool down for a little while. Using your index and thumb squeeze the garlic out of the peel.
3. In a medium pot sautee onion in olive garden over medium heat.
4. Blend pinto beans, cream cheese, garlic and onion with 1 cup of broth. Do it in batches if necessary.
5. Pour back into the pot. Add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add ground cumin and adjust seasoning to taste.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes stirring constantly.
8. Serve with baked tortilla strips and avocado.