Sopa Tarasca (Pinto Bean Soup) with Jalapeño Corn Fritters

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 tablespoon ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes

two 14-ounce cans pinto beans, drained

2-3 cups water or vegetable broth

2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)

1 3/4 cups frozen corn

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 to 1/2 cup cotija cheese

minced jalapeño (to taste – one is usually more than enough)

1/2 teaspoon salt, and/or salt for topping

1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft and fragrant. Add ancho chili powder and cumin; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot.

Add pinto beans to blender; puree with water or broth. Return to pot and stir it into the tomato mixture. Simmer over low heat until ready to serve.

For the corn fritters, pulse 1 cup of the corn in a food processor until smooth-ish. Mix your pureed corn with the flour, cornstarch, Cotija, jalapeño, and salt. Add in remaining 3/4 cup corn. Pour several cups of oil into a skillet for frying. Heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the corn batter in small rolled balls – about 1-2 tablespoons per fritter (a cookie dough scoop works well for this). Fry until golden on both sides. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve soup topped with corn fritters, crema, Cotija cheese, cilantro, and anything else your heart is asking for. YUM.

Nutrition

• Calories: 422
• Total Fat: 17.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 5 mg
• Sodium: 1073 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 54.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 14.8 g
• Total Sugars: 4.8 g
• Protein: 16.5 g