Potaje De Garbanzos (Cuban Chickpea Soup)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, medium diced
1 green pepper, medium diced
1 packet (1 1/2 teaspoons) Sazón seasoning mix with saffron *
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/4 cup vino seco, or cooking sherry
2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, undrained
2 russet potatoes, peeled, large, diced
3 Spanish chorizos (8 ounces), cut into 1/2 inch wheels
1 cup chicken stock, unsalted
4 cups water

For Serving:

white rice

fried ripe plantains

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium-heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, pepper, Sazón seasoning, sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper.

Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker in color and thickened, about 1 minute.

Add the tomato sauce and vino seco to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits with a wooden spoon.

Add the garbanzo beans, potatoes, chorizo, chicken stock, and water.

Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, then cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the chickpeas are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes have softened, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of them against the side of the pot to thicken the stew.

Serve the stew over hot rice, if desired.

Notes

Cubans usually eat this soup over rice, but it can also be eaten as a soup on its own.

I use organic garbanzo beans, which you can find at Costco.

You can use green pepper; I prefer yellow, orange, or red, as they are much sweeter in taste and add a punch of color.

You can omit the chicken stock and use all water if you prefer; I like the flavor that the chicken stock adds to the beans.

*Vino Seco is a Latin cooking wine that can be found in most markets.

*Sazon & Complete Seasoning can be found in most markets.