441. PORTUGUESE PEASANT SOUP

1 lb. dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
3 quarts chicken stock (or more if necessary)
12 strips thick-sliced smoked bacon, diced
1 lb. chorizo, sliced
3 medium yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced
4 medium turnips, scrubbed and diced
1 small cabbage, cored and chopped
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro

Simmer the beans in the chicken stock for about 2 hours, or until they are just tender. In a soup pot, saute the diced bacon until it has rendered its fat. Add the chorizo, onions, garlic and saute until they begin to color. Add the diced potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, bay leaves, and kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 1/2 hour, until the vegetables are tender. Add cilantro just before serving.


courtesy of: The Bean Book by Roy F. Guste. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 200o