Spice up your lunch with this fiery recipe from TRISH DESEINE for chestnut chorizo soup, served with slices of WARM, CRUSTY BREAD …
Amazingly rich and hearty, ready in no time, my children loved this sweet/spicy combination of chestnuts and chorizo, two ingredients I always had in my cupboard in France. You could always throw in some mange-tout, green beans or broccoli if you want to add a bit of green to the soup and of course trusty potatoes or sweet potatoes can stand in for more expensive and not always easy to find chestnuts. With greens or salad leaves as a side, and plenty of good bread on hand, it ticks all the boxes for a warming January supper which is light on meat and strong on flavour.
For 4-5 / 10 minutes preparation / 35 minutes cooking
- 150 g chorizo
- 300 g turnip or carrots (or a mix of both)
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- a 470 g can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 300 g peeled chestnuts, raw or cooked
- 1 L (4 C) boiling water
- 8 stalks of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- a good pinch of smoked paprika and/or chili (optional)
- salt, pepper?– olive oil
1. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic cloves. Scrub, trim and slice the turnip or carrots. Rinse and chop the celery stalk. Remove the chorizo’s outer skin and cut the chorizo in slices.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, onion, chorizo, turnip/carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are softened and slightly caramelised.
3. Add in the contents of the can of tomatoes, juice included. Crush the whole tomatoes a little with a wooden spoon. If you are using raw chestnuts (or potatoes or sweet potatoes) add them now. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pour in the hot water. If you are using cooked chestnuts, add them now. Cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Rinse and chop the parsley leaves. Stir half of it into the soup. Purée the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor until you reach the desired consistency (chunky is good for this soup). Add in more water if needed, and adjust the seasoning.
6. Ladle warm soup into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve with slices of warm crusty bread.
Images/styling by Trish Deseine
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