Creamy Chickpea Soup with Crisped Chorizo

I have been sew so into my quilt that I have hardly any time to post, visit peoples sites, or read recipes.  That's a good thing kinda because then hopefully I will do less eating.  Lots of soups and sandwiches now which is fast and easy to put together.  With five blocks a week for my quilting class on top of other obligations that is the best I can do.  Besides who would complain about soup.  Comfort food and on days when the weather is dropping.  Its perfect. 

You can use a can of garbanzos for the recipe instead of cooking the garbanzos but then you might need to add something more flavorful than water- like broth of some kind- vegetable or chicken is good.  But really if you make a pot of garbanzos on Sunday, you can do many things with them- such as hummus or throw them into other soups or serve them with pasta and some fresh tomato sauce or something.  They won't go to waste.  Oh, and of course you can season them and roast them in the oven for a low carb snack for when you are sitting there zoning out watching the TV. Or have a few roasted garbanzos when you are sipping on cocktails with some friends.   But thats fodder for another post now isn't it.

Creamy Chickpea Soup with Crisped Chorizo
adapted from this recipe from Fine Cooking

2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dried chickpeas, sorted through and rinsed
1 tsp. kosher salt

For the soup:

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 inner rib celery, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
10 oz. chorizo, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives

Cook the beans:

Wrap the bay leaves, garlic, and thyme in a coffee filter or cheesecloth and tie with twine. Put the chickpeas in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches (about 2 quarts). Add the herb bundle and the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the chickpeas are tender but not splitting and falling apart, about 2 hours (check occasionally to be sure the chickpeas aren't boiling and are covered with liquid; add water if needed). Discard the herb bundle. Set aside the chickpeas and their cooking liquid.

Make the soup:

Saute onion, carrot, and celery in oil, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and start to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Add the chickpeas and their cooking liquid. More water will probably be necesssary-there should be about 4 cups total. Add half of the thyme. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a bare simmer, and cook for 30 minutes so that the chickpeas soften a little more. Working in batches, purée the chickpeas and broth in a blender or use an immersion blender. Return the puréed soup to the saucepan, stir in the cream, vinegar, and remaining chopped thyme, and keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Taste for salt, pepper, and vinegar.

In a large skillet cook the chorizo until it’s brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer half the chorizo to a plate lined with paper towels and stir the rest into the soup.

Sprinkle with chives.