The chorizo provides the flavour in this Spanish style soup with the
chickpeas providing lots of texture. We add spinach for a splash of
colour and additional flavour. Easy and quick to make, this soup can be
a starter or a main meal.
To get the most flavour from this soup it is
essential to use real chorizo sausage. Forget using the cubed chorizo so
often sold in supermarkets, it lacks the full taste. We fry our chorizo
for a short time but this is by no means essential. If you don't fry
your chorizo more of the fat will stay in the meat rather than spread
through the chickpeas.
Chorizo is often served with
beans of various types in Spanish cooking and chickpeas suit this dish very
well. If you want to try other readily available beans then give butter
beans a try. They absorb the chorizo flavour well but can break up in the
soup making it slightly thicker.
If spicy food is your
preference then chorizo and chickpea soup can be spiced up with the addition
of a few chilli flakes. Add these when you add the tomatoes.
KEY POINTS
Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
How Difficult
Easy
Freeze?
Yes (see cook's notes)
Servings
4
starter soups
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
How Much
Chorizo
100g / 3½oz
Chickpeas
Large can (400g / 14oz)
Chopped tomatoes
Large can (400g / 14oz)
Spinach
100g / 3½oz
Sweet (bell) red pepper
1
Olive oil
Half a tablespoon
Sweet paprika (pimenton)
¾ teaspoon
Vegetable stock cube
1
COOK'S NOTES This soup can be served either as a starter (four portions) or as a
main meal (two to three portions). If serving as a main meal it goes
very well with crusty bread and a tomato salad.
The soup can be frozen as it is although freezing it
without the spinach and then adding it 90 seconds before serving will let
that green colour shine through much better.
VIDEO OF HOW TO COOK CHORIZO AND CHICKPEA SOUP
COOKING EQUIPMENT
1 Large frying pan
PREPARATION
Remove the skin from the chorizo then slice into small chunks
(see pictures below or video).
Cut the red pepper into quarters,
remove the pith and seeds. Slice into strips and then cut into small
cubes.
Method
Add the olive oil to a large frying pan on a
medium heat.
Now add the chopped chorizo and sweet
pepper. Fry for ten minutes turning the ingredients every minute or
so to stop them from sticking to the base of the pan.
Pour in the tomatoes, the chickpeas and half a
can (chickpea can) of water. Add the sweet paprika and stir the
ingredients well.
Cook the ingredients for eight more minutes
stirring every couple of minutes.
Now sprinkle the spinach into the soup and stir
it until wilted. This will take about a minute and a half.
Serve the chorizo and chickpea soup into warmed
bowls. Serve with crusty bread and a tomato salad.
The soup goes well with Spanish beer or a Rioja
red wine.
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