SPANISH CHORIZO CHICKPEA SOUP

SPANISH CHORIZO CHICKPEA SOUP image

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 13

olive oil
150g chorizo sausage, finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
500g fresh spinach, washed and chopped
8 fresh tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 x 410g tin or jar of good-quality cooked chickpeas, drained
1.3 liters chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
55g pata negra, Spanish ham or prosciutto, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
2 hard-boiled eggs

Steps:

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot and add the chorizo. Allow to heat up and cook for a couple of minutes until the fat comes out of the chorizo, then add your onion, garlic and celery. Turn the heat down and cook slowly for 15 minutes with a lid on and without coloring the onions. Now take the lid off - the smell and color will be fantastic. Stir it around and get some color happening now. Add your spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for around 40 minutes. At this point you can remove about a third of the mixture and purée it in a food processor. Pour it back into the pot, give it a good stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the pata negra or ham and 2 or 3 tablespoons of good Spanish extra virgin olive oil. Divide into bowls and grate some hard-boiled egg on top. The egg was a bit unexpected when I was given this in Barcelona, but it actually adds a lovely richness to it. http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/soup-recipes/scrumptious-spanish-chickpea-chorizo