Sopa Tarasca

This is a bean and tomato soup recipe from Michoacan, Mexico and brought to us by NPR's column.  As Emily pointed out, I think I have an affinity for pureed beans in soups.  They give a creamy fullness to soups that is heartier than cream and probably better for you.  And they pair especially well with a gentle round heat from chiles, whereas cream tends to counteract heat.  I think that is the reason this recipe is so good - the single ancho chile that it uses.  The other thing I changed about the recipe was the tomatoes.  Fresh tomatoes from the store, especially in wintertime, are pathetic and flavorless.  I used about half the tomatoes from a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, and all the juice from the can to cook them in.  As for the toppings, I had some red pepper, and also sliced and pan fried some corn tortillas, and used the sour cream I had on hand.  Technically this soup is not vegetarian because I threw in some chicken boullion cubes instead of just water at the end.  I would contend that those cubes have so little actual chicken in them that if the FDA set a legal limit to call something "vegetarian" it would probably be under the limit.  But hey, you could always try a vegetable stock or just water.