Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

This is such a comforting soup for a rainy day, the flavors always remind me of summer. This soup reheats well, infect the flavours even improve.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 125g / 5 oz chorizo, diced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of crushed or grated garlic
  • 1 x 410g / 14oz tin of chickpeas
  • 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (or 8 fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
  • 1 litre / nearly 2 pints chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • 450g / 1lb spinach, destalked and finely chopped (or baby spinach leaves left whole)

Method

  1. Place the olive oil in a large saucepan on the heat and add the diced chorizo.
  2. Cook for a minute or 2 until the chorizo releases it’s oils, then add the chopped onion, celery and garlic.
  3. Cook on a gentle heat with the lid on until the onion is completely cooked, about 10 minutes, then remove the lid and turn up the heat and cook for a minute to slightly brown the onion.
  4. Add the chickpeas (and all the liquid), tomatoes (and all the liquid) and the stock, season with salt and pepper and bring up to the boil.
  5. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the chickpeas have absorbed all the flavours.
  6. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if necessary.
  7. With the mixture still boiling add the spinach and cook for 1 minute more, until the spinach is soft.
  8. Serve in big warm bowls.