Spicy Black Bean Soup

1. Add the dried black beans to a large pan with a bay leaf, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, turn down and simmer on a low heat for 2-3 hours (you may need to top the water up). Once cooked drain the beans and rinse under cold water and remove the bay leaf.
2. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large heavy based pan and add the onion, celery and carrot (mireproix) and a sprinkle of salt. Cook stirring occasionally on a medium heat until the vegetables are soft for approximately 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chilli flakes, coriander, smoked paprika and stir for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then add the tomato puree and stir for another minute before adding the balsamic vinegar and stirring until evaporated.
4. Add the vegetable stock to the pan along with the black beans and dried chipotle, bring to the boil and then simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the liquid has thickened slightly and reduced by a third.
5. The stock should be a lovely dark and rich looking liquid by now and then stir in the dark chocolate until melted. You could use cacao powder here as a switch.
6. Once the soup has cooked transfer about half of the liquid to a soup blender and blend until smooth (you could use a hand blender for this method too).
7. Return the pureed soup back to the pan with the remaining liquid and stir to combine.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish and then serve.

Serving suggestions: garnish with fresh coriander, avocado and oat creme fraice. Sliced radishes work very well too or a tomato salsa and tortilla chips.

Tip: you could switch the dark chocolate to a tablespoon of cacao