rain, rain, go away, come again another day...

After our nice and sunny Sunday the rain has returned with a vengeance. It’s been horribly cold and rainy all week. But I’m comforted as I write this by a piping hot bowl of spicy Mexican chorizo stew. This is one of my favorite recipes that I have invented. It is such a life saver for a cold and icky evening. When I am cold while I’m making dinner I tend to make foods way spicier. And if I’m cold when I get home from work I go straight for my standby of hot and spicy recipes. This recipe is also great because it hardly takes any time but it tastes like it’s been simmering away for hours. It also boasts one of my absolute favorite ingredients: Chorizo. I wish I had a picture to share but my camera batteries are dead and I keep forgetting to charge them.

Spicy Mexican Chorizo Stew

16 oz of Mexican Chorizo*
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 4 oz can of mild green chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp of cayenne or 1 TB of red Tabasco optional
2 cans black beans drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can full of water
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Rice to serve, optional

Heat olive oil in heavy dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, and peppers. Sauté until begin veggies begin to brown. While those are browning peel the casings off the chorizo and slice into bit sized pieces. Add the chorizo to pan. When the chorizo just starts to brown, add cumin, salt and pepper. Very important: at this point do not drain the fat from the pan. It isn’t a lot of fat and all that fat is coating the vegetables and infusing the soup with lots of yummy spices and flavor. Go easy on the salt because the chorizo has salt. Cook 30 seconds or so. Add the tomatoes, chilies, beans and a can full of water. Then add bay leaf, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer 15 minutes. After 15 minutes all the flavors will meld and you can taste the soup. If you want it spicier add Tabasco or cayenne. I prefer the Tabasco. You can also add more salt at this point if need be. You can serve by itself with bread or tortillas or over rice.

*You want to make sure you get a Mexican Chorizo and not a Baque Chorizo for this recipe. The Mexican Chorizo has a lot more flavor and really makes this dish. You don't have to peel the casings. It really depends on the chorizo you buy. But if you do the chorizo will break up into the stew more.

What is your favorite food on a cold and rainy day?