About the Recipe
A simple and delicious lentejas con chorizo recipe. This Spanish lentil soup is traditional and perfect for cold days!
Ingredients
2 cups dried lentils in Spain there are many types, but use brown or green lentils for this dish, rinsed
12 cups 3 quarts of chicken stock (you can also use water, or half stock and half water)
1 stalk of celery cut into inch long pieces
Aromatics of choice rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, black peppercorn
1 ham bone
1 large link of chorizo semi-cured if possible to find -- about 160g
Olive oil
4 medium onions finely diced
3 large carrots small dice
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ñora pasta this is a roasted red pepper paste -- substitute a mashed roasted red pepper if you can't find it.
3 cups of crushed tomatoes drained
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse your lentils and look them over carefully for pebbles or debris.
Step 2
Since cooking the lentils is what takes the longest, start by covering them with cold water or stock and bringing to a simmer.
Step 3
Add the celery, aromatics, and ham bone and simmer as you prepare the sofrito (the lentils should take about 40 minutes to cook, though this depends on the variety - taste them often so that they don't overcook and become mushy).
Step 4
Cut 3/4 of the chorizo into rounds, place them in a heavy frying pan and turn up the heat. Sear the chorizo on each side, allowing the fat to render.
Step 5
Remove the chorizo from the pan and reserve for later. Mince the uncooked 1/4 of the chorizo for later use as well.
Step 6
In the pan with the chorizo grease, add 1/4 cup of olive oil over a medium heat
Step 7
Add the onions and cook slowly until starting to brown (about 7 minutes)
Step 8
Add the carrots and cook another 5 minutes or so, until everything is cooked through and golden
Step 9
Add the garlic for another couple of minutes
Step 10
Add the tomatoes, minced chorizo, tomato paste and roasted pepper paste
Step 11
Cook over medium heat, stirring, until completely reduced to a paste (sofrito)
Step 12
Add this sofrito mixture to the lentils, and simmer together until all of the flavors are well combined. Taste the lentils often to make sure you don't overcook them.
Step 13
Once cooked through, remove the aromatics and the celery from the pot and let the soup sit, uncovered, for as long as you can wait (the longer, the better combined the flavors will be)
Step 14
Serve hot and top with the seared chorizo and some pickled peppers if you can get them!
Step 15
Enjoy your homemade lentejas con chorizo!