The House Special: Baron Batch’s Black-Bean Soup Recipe

The artist, entrepreneur and former Pittsburgh Steeler invites us into his Studio A.M. kitchen to whip up a soup using his Angry Man Salsa.

VIDEO BY @WAHOOLAGON

Baron Batch is one of my favorite people. I met him when we both did TEDx talks last April at the New Hazlett Theater. If there is one word I always will associate with Batch, it is HUSTLE. And the man truly lives by the word.

I really got to know him after seeing his art and visiting Studio A.M. in Homestead. Batch chose to locate his studio there because the history of the neighborhood embodies “hustle” in every way. A true steel town. A town of the working class. A town built on hard work.

Then there’s Batch’s art — also anchored in Pittsburgh’s roots; it is very graphic and pays homage to the pop-art genre that, of course, has Warhol as one of the artists who defined it. Watching Batch during one of his live painting sessions is pure entertainment — it’s amazing to see a blank canvas turn into something beautiful right before your eyes.

But here’s the kicker (for me at least): Batch also created Angry Man Salsa. I knew Angry Man Salsa before I even met him. In fact, I featured it in my Foodie Gift Guide last year. It’s one of my favorite salsas, and it is so hard to come by because each run is limited-edition. You have to join the mailing list to get alerts on when the next run will be released. When you get the alert, make sure you stockpile on it because you never know when the next one will be.

Batch makes the salsa at Studio A.M. — in the old Smoke BBQ taqueria space. Which means AWESOME KITCHEN in the studio! Wut wut? I convinced him to show me one of the dishes he likes to make with Angry Man Salsa — how it goes beyond “dip.” Surprisingly, it’s an ultra-simple black-bean soup.

It is delicious and SO perfect for the cold season. The recipe is simple, but the salsa is KEY. You have to use Angry Man (or if you are really hard-pressed, make sure it’s salsa that will stand up to it).

Hope you enjoy the Studio A.M. tour and the recipe!

Baron Batch’s Black-Bean Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans black beans
• 1-1¼ cups Angry Man Salsa
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sour cream or tofu sour cream for topping
• Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish
   

Directions:

1. Chop onions and mince garlic.
2. Set a pot on medium heat and sauté onions and garlic in oil, until garlic is soft (about 1 minute)
3. Add 2 cans of drained black beans, 1 ¼ cups Angry Man salsa and 1 quart vegetable broth.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Blend ½ of the soup in a blender then return to pot.
6. Stir and season with salt and pepper.
7. Pour into bowls, garnish with cilantro, green onions and tofu sour cream.
    

You can catch Batch live painting at Heinz Hall this weekend during the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Sci-Fi Spectacular, hosted by George Takei! Use the code STUDIOAM to get a 20-percent discount on the tickets.