CHICKEN GRAVY

INGREDIENTS:

1 ts Olive oil 1 ts Chopped fresh rosemary OR
3/4 lb Turkey sausage, casings -1/2 teaspoon dried
-removed, crumbled 3 cn Garbanzo beans (chick peas)
8 lg Cloves garlic, chopped -(15 to 16 oz cans)
1 c Canned diced peeled tomatoes 2 c Canned chicken broth OR beef
-with juices -broth
2 tb Thinly sliced seeded 2 tb Fresh lemon juice
-jalapeno chili Chopped fresh Cilantro
1 ts Ground cumin 1 Avocado, peeled and sliced

Heat the oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the turkey sausage and chopped garlic. Saute until the sausage is golden brown and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with the back of a fork, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes with their juices, jalapeno chili, ground cumin and chopped fresh rosemary; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garbanzo beans with their liquid and the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season the soup with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)

Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and top with sliced avocado. Serve immediately.

NOTE: "Sliced or diced fresh avocado makes a colorful garnish for this hearty southwestern soup. If you want to cut up the avocado ahead of time but don't want it to discolor, simply place the avocado pieces in a colander and rinse them with cold water. They will stay bright green for about two hours."

Makes 6 servings.

[Quick Soups; Barbara Karoff] [