For the Love of the Stove

This was one of those recipes that I read and just had to have.  The first chance that I got, I made this and it was as good as I thought it would be.  The only problem is that one recipe wasn't nearly enough.  It says it serves 4 to 6 but I think she meant 4 to 6 small children.  I'm making it again today (yes, I just made it for the first time last night but I must have more now......that and Lisa missed dinner last night and really, really wants some.....also right now).  Oh, one more thing, I used a large pot, like the recipe called for, so I couldn't use an immersion blender as there wasn't enough soup in the pot to immerse the blender - go figure.   Hopefully when I triple the batch, as I'm doing tonight, I can actually use it.  
From Marcela Valladolid
Serves 4 to 6
2 T olive oil
Ingredients
1 c chopped white onion
1 serrano chile (my grocery store didn't have serrano so I used 1 jalapeno instead)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
1 c vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
1 1/2 c tortilla chips (I skipped this part, though I'm sure it would have been delicious.)
1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
1.  Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and serrano, and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the beans with the cannint liquid and the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the flavors blend, about 12 minutes.  Discard the serrano chile.  
2.  Transfer to a blender and puree the soup until very smooth.  Return the soup to the same pot.  Season with salt and pepper.
3.  Ladle the soup into bowls.  Drizzle with crema and top with tortilla chips and fresh cilantro leaves.  (If you used sour cream, just stir it into the soup or a nice dollop in the middle.)