I passed through Boise last week, and was so excited to check out some Basque food. Found the Basque area in town, but as it turns out, all of the Basque places are closed on Sunday. I settled on the one place on the block that was open, enjoying a better-than-average club sandwich and a cup of their Basque soup, which was extraordinary. I asked for the recipe, and they generously provided me with an ingredients list, which I worked with to formulate the following recipe. It is SO delicious.

1 c dried small red beans, soaked overnight

1 small red and green bell pepper, diced fine

1 small diced yellow onion

1 big T chicken base

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 14 oz. can tomato puree or canned whole tomatoes, pureed

8” Basque or Spanish chorizo, halved and sliced (don’t use Mexican)

Garlic powder or salt

Worcestershire sauce

Salt, pepper

Tabasco

Garnish with dry jack or parmesean, grated coarsely and or croutons

Saute onion and bell peppers until wilted. Put in 5 quart pan with enough water to cover beans. Cook on medium heat with fresh herbs and chicken base for about an hour until mostly cooked. Remove herbs and add canned and fresh tomato, carrots and celery, and chorizo. Cook until beans and vegetables are cooked through, then adjust seasonings, adding garlic powder or salt, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, Tabasco. The broth should be thicker than just plain stock, which is why you didn’t cook this with a lot of water to start with. Of course you can have added some of the seasonings along the way as well. Garnish as desired. Better the second day.