Soup Crawl: QC Sopa de Chocolate REcipe

Here is the recipe for Queer Chocolatier’s Sopa de Chocolate. Be prepared for a soup that is savory, slightly spicy, and rich. It doesn’t take a lot of this soup to satisfy! Serve in small portions (4-6oz). This recipe will make close to a gallon of soup.

Ingredients:

• 3oz dried chiles (I used Ancho, California, Guajillo and Chili de Arbol for extra spice)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, whole

• 1 32oz can crushed tomatoes

• 32oz vegetable broth

• 1 can of chipotle in adobo sauce

• 1 12oz beer (I used an Oktoberfest, but any amber or marzen-style will do nicely)

• 2oz cocoa powder

• 4oz cornmeal

• 2 tsp instant coffee grounds

• 4oz chocolate

Steps:

1. Toast chiles over low heat on skillet until they become aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don’t let them burn, either lower the heat or shorten the time if the peppers begin to blacken.

2. Soak chiles in a bowl with hot water from a kettle. Leave to soak for at least 20-30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, chop onion and peel garlic. Set garlic aside.

4. Add olive oil to a large pot, add chopped onion and sauté over medium heat until softened and translucent.

5. Add garlic to onions in the pot.

6. Drain chiles, remove stems and seeds and add to pot. Stir to combine well and heat for 3-5 minutes.

7. Add tomatoes, broth, chipotle in adobo sauce, and beer to pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes.

8. Take off heat and carefully use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, you will have to very carefully blend in batches with a blender. (Using a blender for hot liquids can be dangerous so please be careful to not overfill the blender and to remove the small cover at the center of your lid and have a towel to cover so that the pressure doesn’t pop the lid off.)

9. Strain the puréed soup through a strainer and dispose of the solids. Return strained soup into the soup pot and set on medium heat.

10. Add cocoa powder and cornmeal to thicken, stir frequently and heat for 10 minutes.

11. Add coffee and chocolate, stir until chocolate is melted and thoroughly incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat.

12. Serve. Top with cocoa nibs, shaved chocolate, sour cream or if you want a little sweeter, whipped cream.