Ingredients

• 2-3 chorizo (El Chorizo Latino Mexican or Puertorriqueño brand chorizos or 1 slice of bacon roughly chopped)

• 2 cups lentils (cleaned and rinsed)

• 3 roma tomatoes cut into medium pieces

• 1 large onion finely chopped

• 1 small potato chopped

• 3 medium carrots peeled and diced

• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped

• 5 ½ cups chicken broth

• 1 ½ cups water

• ½ tsp dried thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Making the "Recaudo" (Tomato Base):

Place the tomatoes, garlic, and 1 cup of the chicken broth into a blender. Blend for one minute or until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

2. Brown the Meat

In a large pot, cook the chorizo over medium heat for approximately 8 minutes or until well browned. Using a spoon, remove the excess fat, leaving only one tablespoon of the drippings in the pot.

3. Sauté the Vegetables

Add the carrots and onion to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.

1. Cook the Base: Pour in the blended tomato mixture and continue cooking for 8 minutes.

2. Simmer: Add the lentils, the remaining chicken broth, and the water. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes, then reduce the heat to low. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.

3. Final Touch: Simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. If the soup becomes too thick or dry, add a bit more chicken broth or water to your liking.

4. Make it Spanish

• Spanish Style Replace El Chorizo Latino Mexican chorizo with our San Martín Spanish style chorizo. Cook everything together and blend approx. three quarters of the whole vegetables (except the potato) at the end to thicken the broth.

• The first recipe (Mexican style "recaudo") blends the raw tomatoes and garlic first and fries them with the meat, creating a different depth of flavor.