Thursday, January 27, 2011

chorizo, chickpea & lentil soup

Able-Bodied Brother asked for this recipe to help take care of some extra chorizo he has laying around. I'm hoping he has it made before I leave his house this weekend :-D (Happy First Birthday, Able-Bodied Niece!!!!)

This recipe is based on the Spiced Lentil, Chickpea & Chorizo Soup in 500 Soups by Susannah Blake. When I first made it, I was skeptical about how it would turn out, as I am not a huge fan of chickpeas in whole form (but give me hummus and I'm perfectly happy!) and I was worried that the mexican chorizo in the freezer would create a dish that was too greasy. However, it turned out to be a lovely chili-like soup, with a warm heat and meaty feel. I made a few changes, and up-ed the yield (Soup Day would be lame with 2-quart batches...)

I have no clue how it would turn out with spanish chorizo, but I imagine it wouldn't have the ground meat feel that mexican chorizo does, once cooked, and possibly a different flavor. I'm assuming that's what Able-Bodied Brother has, so he'll have to let us know...



CHORIZO, CHICKPEA, AND LENTIL SOUP

You'll need:
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil (if using spanish chorizo, you may need to double the oil)
  • 8oz mexican chorizo; or 1lb spanish chorizo, chopped
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
  • 2 Tbsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp crushed dried chili/red pepper
  • 1lb dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 4 14-oz cans drained chickpeas; or 1lb dry chickpeas, soaked, cooked, and drained
  • 2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes (or 12 fresh happy summer tomatoes), with liquid
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2.5 quarts vegetable stock (water works just fine too)
  • salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a 4-6 quart soup pot, heat the oil and fry the chorizo, onion and garlic for a few minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and pepper, and heat for a minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are cooked. Add more liquid and salt/pepper to taste.

Yields:
3+ quarts, or 13 2-cup servings
Each serving: 315 calories, 23g fiber, $1.09

Freezes well.




What's been your experience with chorizo? Have you tried both types?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl

2 comments:

  1. I know what I'm making for dinner tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, I didn't read the first line until today :-P. Plus you kind of nixed it when you said Mom wouldn't eat it.

    ReplyDelete