Garbanzo con Chorizo – Chickpeas with Chorizo Sausage

Garbanzo con Chorizo is a cross between a soup and a stew and is served in homes all over Spain!

Apart from hummus, falafels and some Indian dishes I had never been a big chickpea fan, always finding them a bit of a dry bean or a soggy nut! Strange really, but not until I really started to discover Spanish food did I realise how good chickpeas can be. The same can be said of beans too! Now of course I use beans, chickepeas and other pulses whenever I can and find them a great way of getting some protein without eating meat, although we do use chorizo which is also quite fatty, but oh how delicious!

This recipe for Garbanzo con Chorizo is easy and apart from soaking the beans. And yes, if you haven’t got dried garbanzo beans or chickpeas and have canned, no problem, just as good!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 300g Dried chickpeas
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 300g fresh chorizo, sliced
  • 250g dry cured bacon, cubed
  • 900ml chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and ground black pepper to season
  • 1 handful chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Preparation method:

Soak the chickpeas in cold water over night or for a minimum of 6 hours before you want to cook them.

Heat the oil in a pan and lightly fry the chopped garlic, onions and carrotsuntil they are nicely golden,then add the chorizo and bacon or serrano and sauté until the bacon is browned.

Add the stock and the bay leaf, then bring to the boil, add the chickpeas and cook for about 1 hour, testing occasionally to see if the chickpeas are cooked. Skim off any foam or chorizo fat that comes to the surface n the process.

Once the chickpeas are soft but not mushy, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a little boiling water if you think the sauce is too thick.

Serve the soup in four bowls, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and dress with some chopped parsley.

Enjoy!