27.6.07

Spicy chorizo and tomato soup

So, in the end the chorizo and tomato soup was made, and at the request of Merisi, I hereby divulge the recipe - for that particular day's soup anyway - I make things up as I go along, so things change, especially as I don't measure. But this time, and with Merisi in mind, I made notes. It makes a lot of soup, enough for four probably but we are greedy. This soup was prepared about 4 hours before eating, but it would have been better made the day before.Things usually are.

I got together all these -



Which are - 2x 400gms/14oz tins of cheap chopped tomatoes, 1x 500g/18oz box passata, 1x 225gm/8oz whole chorizo (or chunk of salami) one medium-large onion, 1x sweet red pepper (not shown), tomato puree, extra virgin olive oil, fresh or dried savoury herbs, two decent sized cloves of garlic, a chicken stock cube, sweet chilli sauce, HP/Brown sauce, paprika, chutney (optional).


IMPORTANT NOTE - you can't really go wrong with this. The measurements can be adjusted to taste, and the world won't stop turning if you use slightly different sized food containers, the ones I have here are standard for the UK. (Just make sure you use a decent olive oil, that's all).


Chop your onion how you like it.

Ditto the red pepper. Gently heat the olive oil (about two tablespoons or your own personal glug) until you can smell it, then add the onion and one teaspoon of paprika. Saute quietly until translucent, then add the pepper. While that is doing, take the skin off your salami if necessary - here I have scoured the casing vertically all the way along and peeled it back...


and then chopped into generous slices. Pop it in with the pepper and onion, and le
ave it to sweat its smoky, fatty goodness out, until it is moist and glistening.



Add the two tins of tomatoes and the passata, then your flavourings. Usually I just wallop them in, but this time I measured properly. And I put in - 2x teaspoons sweet chilli sauce, 1x teaspoon HP sauce, 2x crushed cloves garlic, 1x tablespoon tomato puree and about one heaped tablespoon savory herbs. And the stock cube. My herbs were from my pots, rosemary, hyssop, marjoram, lavender and a bay leaf. Dried would do fine. (Obviously, don't chop the bay leaf, leave it to marinade). Oh yes, I added a very generous teaspoon of my own peach chutney, but this is discretionary.




By now the soup was more like a thick pasta sauce, indeed it could be used for that very purpose if you simmered it down a bit more. But for soup, I added water - and see how much I love you all - I used American cup sizes. But I seem to have made a bit mess of my conversion, as I used what I thought were 3 cups, which is about 600 ml, but that converts to over a pint and I didn't think I added that much...so, about 600 ml, or, just make it more liquid with how ever much cold water you want. Let judgement and common sense prevail. You are going to leave it on a very low setting, (not even simmering) to quietly richen and thicken again. While you go off and do something else - drink gin/watch TV/have a bubble bath. I made bread, because sometimes my goodness knows no bounds.




22 comments:

joanna said...

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, G :D Can smell that delicious soup from here, and the bread looks fantastic :) xxx

Merisi said...

Happy birthday! :-)
Thank you so much for the recipe. I love your personal touch, escpecially the peach chutney. Baking bread while the soup is simmering, you are wonder woman to me!
Your new header is really beautiful, so fitting, and I am glad your sweet rabbit has found a good home.
Have a wonderful day,
and thank you again,
Merisi

mountainear said...

That sounds wonderful and I'm definitely up for trying it. Can smell it from here. Mmmm...

Kristin Nicholas said...

Yum!

Love the new banner! I'm still trying to figure out how to load one on my blog.

Lisa Oceandreamer Swifka said...

Today is your birthday? there seem to be many in the month of June. Well then I must first send you the happiest birthday wishes and may this year be success beyond your wildest dreams!!

As for the cooking, you astound me the way you can toss a bit of this and that and have a savory meal. AND look at that bread....my downfall in life is bread. Wait, I think I can actually smell its goodness.....how about a little butter and some tea. I'd gladly clean up afterwards!
XOXO
love and hugs,
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Today's your birthday? Well, Happy Birthday to You! The Rabbit illustration found a home? Wonderful! Your food looks tasty, I just may try it sometime this week! Bye for this time!

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

Happy Birthday from across the pond!
I think you should write a cookbook because it's great fun reading your recipe AND you made my mouth water too.

Cotswoldgent said...

Happy Birthday Gretel, and my god that food looks wonderful!
Yum yum.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Gretel! :-)) And thanks for the yummy soup recipe. I can almost taste that sausage! mmmm!

Libbys Blog said...

Oh if only!!! I have just started a diet :o( very sad now cos that looks so scrummy!

Anonymous said...

Yum! I now have the perfect use for the Scottish wild venison salami we brought back from Loch Fyne! Delish!

Thanks for sharing the recipe and have a lovely weekend :)

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

What a wonderful looking recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I wish I knew where to find nice chorizo round here. They do sell something called chorizo in the local butchers, but I don't think it looks as nice as the one in your picture.

Happy birthday, by the way!

LBD x

Erica-Jane said...

mmmmmmmmm!

All I feel like eating at the mo is soup.
Mybe it's because the weather is so Autumnal.
Speaking of which...bring on Autumn!!!

lettuce said...

Happy Birthday!

yum.

OldBagNewTricks said...

Oh, this looks wonderful -- it is how I cook too -- a bit of this, a bit of that -- chopped how you like it... I do appreciate the effort to convert to American. I know it's very hard to get the conversions right that one could just as happily pull ouut hair... but common sense will prevail when I make this and I'll just make it a little liquidy, as I like it.

Thanks loads and did I see a happy birthday in the mix? Happy Birthday!

Jenny

Sarah said...

great banner...lavender, sounds great.

Sarah said...

oh and happy birthday, fellow cancerian.

Tart said...

Just catching up with your blog - recipe sounds extremely tasty to me. New header is great. Was leafing through some books of Mum and Dad's and found one I'd given Dad maybe five years ago with the birthday card inside and it was one of YOURS!
xx L

Chris.P said...

Happy Birthday Gretel! Yes what a great new banner. Gives mine an inferiority complex.

Amazing food and I'm flippin' starving at the moment.

Mary said...

Lovely bread, send me the recipe when you can, and by the way, the pizza, like it thin crust. Try it.
keep in touch.
Mary

mrsnesbitt said...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm very hungry now!

Please could you give me some info on illustration Friday? i would love to join in.

Dx

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

This will put hair on my chest! Just the thing for a cold , grey , windy first day of summer 2011 here in the Frozen North .