1 cup diced dry-cured chorizo sausage (about 5 ounces)
½ medium onion, diced (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
8 ounces dried cranberry beans (1⅓ cups)*
8 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1 cup brussels sprouts, trimmed and leaves separated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup garlic sausage, sliced into thin rounds (about 1 link)
Directions
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and the chorizo and cook over medium heat until the chorizo has rendered its fat and crisped slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until it has softened and turned translucent, about 10 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Add the chicken stock and cranberry beans and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Add the brussels sprouts and cook for 10 minutes longer, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the brussels sprouts cook, add the remaining tablespoon of canola oil to a skillet and cook the sausage rounds, turning once, over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a few slices of sausage. Serve immediately. * Note: At his restaurant, Garces uses fresh cranberry beans, which you may find this time of year at the farmers' market. If you want to use them instead of the dried beans called for here, use 2 cups shelled beans and reduce the simmering time by 30 minutes.