Recipe: Lentil Soup Borracho

A Big Food Favorite

I absolutely love this soup. And it gets better and better as it mellows in the fridge.
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‘Borracho’ means ‘drunkard’ in Mexican.

LENTIL SOUP BORRACHO

Serves 10-12

1 lb lentils, rinsed

4 C beer

3 C chicken stock (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

1 lb lean ground beef

1 C cooked ham pieces

1 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced thin (preferably homemade—see recipes in Sausages subsection)

1 C celery, chopped coarse

1 C red onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic (about 2 medium cloves), chopped

½ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled

½ tsp dried basil, crumbled

1 C (4 oz) mushrooms, sliced

Salt, pepper, to taste

Combine lentils, beer, and stock in large kettle or Dutch oven, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer. Brown ground beef in skillet, drain off fat, and add beef to lentils with all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Cook 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.