Pollan-Moss Chick Pea Soup with Chorizo and Fresh Tomato

I recently read an article in the New York Times by food authorities  Michael Pollan and Michael Moss, who shopped in NYC and then cooked lunch together.  Pollan's dish was a simple chick pea soup, which inspired me for a quick weeknight meal.  I jazzed it up with chorizo and fresh tomato and thyme, but kept the essence of fresh lemon juice before serving, as per the original dish.  He served it with Moss' pizza, but we just served it with crusty bread, for a wholesome meal. I will serve this to our daughter who loves chick peas, upon her return from Spain, as she will miss the wonderful spiced sausages for sure.

1 medium onion, or 2 shallots, sliced

1 cup chopped carrots
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
 2 Tbsp chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dried
2 cans chick peas, drained
2 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
6 oz. chorizo (meat or veggie), crumbled
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 large ripe tomato, diced

Heat a tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot and sauté the carrots, onion, chive and jalapeño pepper. Let veggies caramelize over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.  Add the thyme and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and the broth and bring to a boil.  Stir, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes, until the chick peas are nice and tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet and brown the chorizo slowly over medium heat.  Set aside when browned. When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice into the soup and remove from the heat.

 

Now assemble the soup.  Ladle some of the chickpea mixture into four wide shallow bowls.  Sprinkle the chorizo about the bowls of soup, to taste.  Top the soup with the fresh tomato and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: A major success factor of this soup is the broth you use.  There are lots of great broths these days you can buy, both meat based and vegetable based. But I still try to keep homemade stocks frozen for soups like this, and here I used my own chicken broth that I had frozen.  So you see I am an omnivore like Pollan, but you could also use a mushroom or vegetable broth as well.

I'm always searching for good vegetarian protein, so I love tofu (fresh, smoked, pressed) and I try all kinds of veggie burgers, sausages, etc.  Here, I used vegetarian chorizo (Trader Joe's), which we find delicious.  I'm not claiming its the same as fresh chorizo sausage, but is a nice vegetarian alternative. I say that because many 'fake meats' in my opinion really are not great - you have to be careful and search out good ones. It may take some experimentation.  I think Michael Pollen would weigh in that if it does not look like food, don't eat it.  But does real chorizo look any more like food than vegetarian chorizo?! Both are processed, but which is better?  You choose.

To honor Michael Pollen's simplicity, and thank him for the inspiration, I left the chorizo out in the serving below, which was absolutely light and delicious.