I have been set a challenge and don’t we all love a challenge in January. The challenge is to write a blog post for The Ring of Kerry website and a recipe for something that is low in fat, healthy, cheap and relates to Kerry! But my problem is….nothing much grows in winter, until I thought about that wonderfully nutritious, vitamin packed and tasty vegetable that is Kale! The landscape where I live is awe inspiring, we live in an area where mountains meet the sea, where kestrels swoop and soar, where seals and humpbacks swim close to our shore, where on Autumn evenings you can hear the call of the deer as rutting season begins and where wild garlic grows in abundance on the forest floor in Spring. As the seasons come and go you are ever more aware of the beauty all around. This landscape shapes you and makes you who you are…..that is if you stop to pause.
This wild and mountainous area I have made my own.
I love to run and some of my runs take me to the top of hills where the views are magical and where in the distance various mountains appear stacked against one another with varying shades of purple and grey.
As a family we love to explore and wander through our woodland and bog and roam along our shores. We fly kites in the wind at the beach and walk through fog or snow over old long forgotten roads.
In the depths of winter what could satisfy you more after a day wandering the countryside or burning up calories on a run than a warming, energy packed and very economical bowl of Chickpea, Chorizo and Kale soup. The chorizo and kale are a wonderful match and regularly feature in Portugal’s traditional soup Caldo Vera, marry this with garlic, vegetable, tomatoes, chicken stock and smoked paprika and you have a soup that is packed with flavour, protein, fibre, vitamins and will keep you full for hours. I hope you enjoy 😉
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 75g chorizo, chopped
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 litre of chicken stock
- 1/2 packet of kale, finely chopped
- Pinch of good quality hot smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Heat the oil over a medium heat and sweat the onions, carrot, celery, chorizo and garlic until soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 mins.
- Add the paprika, salt and pepper and kale and simmer until the kale is just cooked.
- Pour into soup bowls and serve with shavings of Parmesan cheese.
