Peruvian Minestrone

This is another gem from the cookbook Daisy Cooks! by Daisy Martinez. She calls this recipe the true jewel of Peru (step aside Machu Picchu!). I modified her recipe and kind of threw it together, hoping it would come out well but not having too high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a hearty stew, full of good things and I enjoyed it even on a warm spring day.

Ingredients:

3 slices of bacon

1 leek halved and sliced into half-moons
4 carrots peeled and sliced
4 celery hearts chopped
1/2 onion chopped
5-6 yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped

rind of a block of parmesan cheese

5 cups of beef broth

4 ears of frozen corn thawed and cut into 4 chunks each
4 small links or one large link of chorizo sliced

salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish

This recipe makes 4 servings

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In a large soup pot, add 3 slices of bacon, cover and cook bacon over medium heat. Flip the bacon occasionally, but keep the lid on the pot. When the bacon is nice and crispy, remove from the bacon and keep the grease and burnt bits in the pot.

Eat the bacon. Sure you could keep the bacon, break it up and sprinkle it on top of the soup. But you know you want to eat it. Immediately! It's okay. I won't tell anybody.

Turn the heat back up to medium and add your leeks, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Cook for a few minutes then slowly add your 5 cups of beef broth and your parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the parmesan rind and slide in your chorizo and cut up ears of corn. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until corn is done.

If you want, you can brown the chorizo in a pan separately and then add the chorizo to the pot a minute or so before you serve. If you have really good quality chorizo (the tough kind that's been smoked), you'll want to give it more time in the pot to soften a bit.

Serve hot or at room temperature. It reheats really well too so it makes great leftovers.