Black Bean Soup with Chorizo
at Mex-to-Go in Croton

By Liz Johnson
Published: 06 February 2012, Yorktown and Cortlandt region

Black Bean Soup with Chorizo

Story behind it: “I grew up with black bean soup,” says Mex-to-Go’s owner and Croton resident Mayra Caguano Viznay, who combines Ecuadorian influences with Mexican staples at Mex-to-Go. At home, she made a black bean soup for her family using chorizo. When regular customers began requesting black bean soup at Mex-to-Go two years ago, she wanted to give them something different and special. “So I prepared it the same way I do at home,” says Viznay. Customers seemed to like it, so two years later it still appears on the winter menu. “Only I make the soup,” she says.

Ingredients: Chipotle, chorizo, black beans, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and hot annatto, which “adds a little color,” says Viznay.

Why we love it: There’s nothing glamorous about Mex-to-Go. In fact, the takeout kitchen is about a utilitarian as it gets, so getting a soup this flavorful and dimensional is a welcoming surprise. It’s goes way beyond expectations. The soup is made up of al dente beans and small pieces of smoky chorizo and it’s that smoky flavor that wins us over time and again. And again. And again…

Great for: Those nights when you just can’t bear to cook. Call in an order on the way home from work, and poof: Dinner! And you didn’t even have to open the microwave.

Also at Mex-to-Go: Excellent burritos, guacamole and chips, and beautifully spiced and juicy rotisserie chickens that blow away whatever your grocery store’s got going.

Grab a spoonful: 345 South Riverside Drive, Croton-on-Hudson, 914-271-8646, mextogo-croton.com

— Mary Lynn Mitcham

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