This is a soup which you really must try. If you are a lover of tapas, as I am, then this will really tickle you tastebuds, with the combination of chickpeas, chorizo and wonderfully sweet prawns, combined with garlic and chilli. There is not much more to be said than – enjoy!!
Chickpea soup with seared prawns, chorizo and pimentón oil
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chillies
300g dried chickpeas, soaked for 24-48 hours in cold water
1 bay leaf
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon sweet pimentón
1tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
juice of ½ lemon
12 large raw shelled prawns
1 x 100g cooking chorizo, peeled and thinly sliced
Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and chillies, cover and fry gently for 10 minutes until very soft and lightly golden. Scoop half the onions into another pan and set aside. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the first pan with the bay leaf and 1 litre cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 2–2½ hours or until very tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Just before the chickpeas are ready, place the second pan of fried onions over a medium heat. As soon as they are sizzling, stir in the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pimentón and the coriander seeds. Fry gently for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and their cooking liquor. Leave to cool slightly, then blend, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return to the pan and stir in 250ml more water, or enough to give the soup a good consistency. Stir in the lemon juice, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring back to a gentle simmer over a low heat.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the prawns and chorizo and fry for 2 minutes until the prawns are just cooked through. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the fried prawns and chorizo. Add the remaining pimentón to the frying pan and leave to sizzle gently for a few seconds. Drizzle the oil over the soup and serve with some warm crusty bread.
