Reconstructed Spanish Garbanzo Bean & Spinach Soup
While on a recent trip to Spain to spend time with our study-abroad daughter, we had the joy of eating some really memorable dishes. I came home with a mission to recreate some of our favorites while the taste memories are still intact. This soup was one of my husband’s favorites, and since the weather has been cool and rainy lately, I thought I’d start with this one.
The soup (or stew) we had in Burgos was actually made with fish, but I substituted chorizo sausage for more robustness (is that a word?), and added an orange zest/parsley garnish for brightness. It was really very good. Not exactly what we had in Burgos, but there were lots of sighs and requests for more from my husband. He is fairly stoic with the praise, so I’ve learned how many sighs and guttural sounds equals a score of ten. This soup got a nine. Perfect for a rainy spring day.
Reconstructed Spanish Garbanzo Bean & Spinach Soup
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 lb. chorizo sausage (removed from casings)
- 1 med. red onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp thyme leaves (fresh if possible)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed
- 2 26-oz packages chicken stock (be sure and get stock, not chicken broth)
- 2 bunches fresh spinach (or greens)
- Italian parsley and fresh grated orange zest for garnish
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in dutch oven (if you don’t have dutch oven, use iron skillet for browning meat and vegetables and then transfer to large stock pot). Add chorizo and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until browned.
- Push chorizo to side and add more olive oil if needed and cook onion, carrot, celery over med-low heat for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not brown.
- Stir in garlic, thyme, pepper flakes and paprika and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and cook until slightly thickened (about 1 minute)
- Add garbanzo beans and stock
- Combine well and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and cook, covered about 45 minutes.
- Add chopped, drained spinach leaves to pot and cover. Cook over med-low heat until spinach is soft (about 5 minutes
- Season with salt and pepper to taste (chorizo is salty so be careful).
- Garnish with parsley and orange zest and serve warm with some good hearty bread.
Cheers!
Dorothy, I made this soup last night, exactly as you instructed (I used half a pound of chorizo, which was plenty) and it was fabulous! Phil emitted many sighs and guttural sounds of pleasure too. Thanks!
Real funny.
This looks great! I’m definitely going to make it!
Gloria, the version we had in Spain had Merluza (a white fish), which was really good. I just didn’t like the bones, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone else.
Maybe I’ll try it both ways, first with the chorizo and then with some kind of fresh fish we get here. This soup is right up my alley, I love chickpeas and I love spinach and I love them together.