Meat and Potato Soup

During the late fall, I yearn for a gutsy soup: something with body, flavor and plenty of meat and vegetables, served steaming hot.

Unfortunately, that robust taste usually requires several hours and a counter full of ingredients to develop. One solution I developed is this chorizo-based soup.

Spicy, uncooked Mexican chorizo sausage can be used in place of a long-cooking meat or ground beef. Flavored with peppers and cumin, it’s a seasoning as well as a protein source. Add cooked, canned pinto beans and tomatoes as well as fresh garlic, carrot, onion and potato. The soup cooks in about 30 minutes.

Although it is potent and delicious if served immediately after cooking, Pinto-Chorizo Soup will improve in flavor if refrigerated overnight and reheated. Before reheating, lift off and discard any solidified fat.

Or, you can heat the soup to almost boiling, pour it into a vacuum container rinsed out with hot water and enjoy a hot, hearty picnic entree.

PINTO-CHORIZO SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium carrot, diced

1/2 pound chorizo

2 cups beef or chicken broth

1 medium red potato, peeled and diced

1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 cup canned pinto beans, drained

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Add garlic, onion and carrot and saute over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chorizo and thoroughly brown, breaking up pieces with fork. Pour off fat.

Add broth and potato. Break up tomatoes with fork and add to soup along with juice. Stir in cilantro, rosemary and beans. Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Skim off fat before serving. Makes about 4 (1-cup) servings.