Ingredients

3-4 tbs olive oil

Large knob of unsalted butter

1 large Spanish onion,  peeled & finely chopped

6 celery sticks, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

4-6 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped

150g chorizo sausage, finely sliced

1 litre (1¾ pints) chicken or vegetable stock

I used used organic stock cubes, at least 2)

400g tin chopped tomatoes

200g chestnuts, vacuum packed (Waitrose)

400g tin chickpeas, drained or rinsed (you can substitute these for mixed pulses etc)

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea Salt



To garnish

Natural Yoghurt

Parsley or Watercress

 



AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.....

 

1.  Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and to this add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, stir well and replace the lid and allow to cook/steam for 5-10 mins  gently until softened, but not burned.

2. Add the chopped garlic, cumin seeds and chorizo and cook for a further 5 minutes.

3.  Add the stock together with the tomatoes and then stir in the chickpeas and chestnuts..   Stir well and leave to simmer with the lid on for about 20 - 30 minutes until everything is softened.

4. The soup can now either be liquidized in a food processor or partially liquidized with a hand held processor.  Be careful to pulse in short sharp bursts as only part of the soup should be smooth, retaining tasty chunks.

5. Adjust seasoning according to taste and serve with either watercress or fresh chopped parsley and a dollop of natural yoghurt.

6.  For those who like a little extra bite to the flavouring may like to add either a little Cayenne pepper or a pinch or two of chilli powder.