Smoky Black Bean and Rice Stoup

I assumed that "stoup" was a real cooking term that I just didn't know, but it looks like it's an invention of Rachael Ray's - a portmanteau of "stew" and "soup". (Full disclosure: it's also a real word with (possibly) a completely different meaning.) Rachael described this meal as "chop, drop, and open", which seemed like a nice break from my more complicated dish of last week. And, since I had experimented with other black bean soups the previous week, I'd like to see what a real version tasted like.

It was easy to lay everything out at the start. I picked up some Worcestershire and Tabasco along with coriander to supplement my seasonings. Chopping up celery, half an onion, and some garlic, I left these out on the cutting board. The recipe called for bay leaf, but I had no idea what that was until later (it's a spice? I was looking with the fresh greens). I measured out half a cup of frozen corn kernels and half a cup of rice to add along with the chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, and black beans.

I sliced up some bacon and started cooking it in the pot. After a few minutes, I added the celery, onion, and garlic. After these had simmered together, the corn and black beans were added. I poured in half the beans' can and its juices and then (on Rachael's recommendation) smashed the rest together to achieve a more paste-like consistency. I then seasoned this concoction with the Worcestershire, Tabasco, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. The smell now coming off the stove was to die for!

Next to go in was the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth (I told you this was a simple recipe!). The pot was nearing capacity now and, adding the final ingredient - rice, I left it to simmer for ten minutes. I halved the ingredients for this meal so as not to make way more than I'd eat (even though soup will store well). As such, I decreased the final recommended cooking time for this last step. The rice came out not as soft as probably intended, but OK nonetheless. Jeremy and Allison bravely volunteered to join me again for dinner before watching Blade Runner. Here's to hoping they're still alive to read this!