RECIPE - Red or Brown Lentils, Mexican Style (Sub Pinto Beans for Charros)

Mexican Style

1 white onion
1-3 jalapeno no seeds or with seeds if you like it hot
1 can mexican style diced tomatoes
4-5 slices of bacon or 1 chorizo sausage link (small - little goes a long way here)
Minced garlic
Cilantro
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Red or brown lentils - 1 pckg OR for charros buy 4 cans of pinto beans if you don't have time to soak beans the night before
Chicken Stock (about 5 cans or 2 large containers)
Water

Cut up your bacon into small pieces and add to a large stock pot, brown well.  Cut your white onion while your bacon is cooking, add to pot with grease and bacon once the bacon is brown.  Wait until your onions are clear before adding the diced garlic and cut up jalapenos.  If you are using sausage instead, do your veges first but use a little bit of oil for the onions.  Add tomatoes, rinsed lentils, (sausage if using) and cover all to a simmer with chicken stock and/or water if needed.  If there is not enough stock to cover well and have a soup like consistency, then add water until it does.  Add your spices, about 2 tsp each, taste at the end and add more if needed.  I usually have to be very generous with the cumin.  At the very end, add your cilantro, about a good chopped handful, for extra flavor.  Cilantro does not need to cook in the pot for an hour, it can get kinda bitter.  That is why you do it at the end.  Cook for about 60 minutes at a soft bubble, NOT a rolling boil.  Check occasionally to make sure you have enough water in the pot.  If the lentils look like they have expanded and there is not enough liquid, add more stock or water.  If you are doing this with canned pinto beans, it only takes about 20 minutes total as the beans are already cooked that you are using.Heat large stock pot on medium.

While you wait, make a nice mexican faijata meal, the lentils or pintos can be a side.  OR make a bowl of this your meal.  I probably make this version of lentils or pinto beans the most, it is a favorite in our house.  We tend to make nachos out of it the next day for something different.