Chorizo and Green Pea Soup

It's starting to cool down now, and I'm going to Scotland where it is bound to be even cooler so I thought a flask of warming yet refreshing soup could work a treat for the long journey.

I really like the contrast of the fresh summery sweet peas with the earthy smoked sweetness of the chorizo. This is a good soup to eat warm, not hot or cold. The fat from the chorizo won't do you any favours if you eat it cold and hot you loose the balance of the flavours.

I used some chicken stock I made from a roast bird off of Peckham Farmer's Market but you can use chicken or vegetable stock cubes or powder, or just use water and cook some diced carrots and celery with the onion and season well.

This is meant to be easy and simple but satisfying, I served it with my Garlic and Sea Salt Focaccia and it worked beautifully. Squirrelface even went back for seconds.

Chorizo and Green Pea Soup

300g peas fresh (podded weight) or frozen

100g cured chorizo, skinned and finely diced

1 onion, diced

500ml stock or water

Salt and black pepper

Fry chorizo on a medium heat, allow it to let the redidsh golden fat come out and when there is enough to coat the pan add the onion and cook for 8 - 10 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, boil the peas in the stock for 3- 5 minutes and move 150g peas, without stock, into the pan with chorizo and onion, the turn heat down low.

Blend the remaining peas with the stock until somewhere between chunky and smooth.

Add blended peas and stock to the pan and turn the heat up high, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Wait 5 minutes and serve in soup bowls with the focaccia as advised or any other delicious bread.

Smoky Chorizo and Butter-bean Stew

I've got too much to do to spend all evening in the kitchen...

When leaving the house to go shopping is unthinkable, or economically unfeasible of a week night, when you’re tired and have myriad tasks to do with a hungry partner and/or kids,  a store cupboard meal is ideal. They don’t have to be pappy or flavourless if you have some chorizo, tinned tomatoes and tinned pules on hand. They are a basis of many a store cupboard meal, along with onions and some good vinegar you can slap this stew down with any old starchy carb.

I am however very much against this pairing of chorizo with pasta,  it’s just uncouth. Potatoes or rice or bread are obvious store cupboard staples, I would prefer these to be used, the rice simply boiled as I did here; potatoes boiled, mashed, roasted, what-have you; bread just to scoop and dab and polish the plate of the last morsel.

I think one of the most rewarding things about cooking is getting the best out of an ingredient, By skinning the cured chorizo before cooking on a low heat, you allow the complex and smoky fat to ooze out in a splendid rusty-ruby-red pool, you don’t need to add any oil or other fat to the dish. Adding a red wine vinegar or potentially balsamic while the stew is bubbling will offset any fatty notes to the dish and leave it deep and rich and savoury.

As I always say, play around with the recipe, use a different pules if you wish to, use dried if you have more time, use fresh tomatoes if you prefer and use whatever seasoning you desire, if you prep the chorizo as I describe, you’ll welcome that fraught moment when you think you have no food in aside form half a chorizo in the back of the fridge.

Smoky Chorizo and Butter-bean Stew

100g cured chorizo, skin removed and diced

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin butterbeans

Squeeze of tomato purée 

1tsp smoked paprika (dolce or picante)

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch sugar

Salt n pepper

Fry the chorizo on a low heat until most of the delicious fat has oozed out, then add the onions and carrot, then raise the heat to medium and cook till onion is translucent and carrots are slightly softened.

Add tomatoes and tin full of water, sugar, tomato purée, stir well and cook on high heat stirring occasionally.

When reduced to desired consistency, add the lemon juice, paprika and butter-beans and heat through.

Taste and season.

Serve with your choice of carbs (BUT NOT PASTA, PLEASE!) or add two tins of stock and have yourself a soup.