SUPER GREEN SOUP

I've got another super duper soup recipe for you and this one is for those who love their greens. Kale and spinach are the stars of the show today and whilst they can be notoriously bland and uninteresting when handled incorrectly this soup shows you how they can be turned into something magnificent. All you need are some chilli, garlic and chorizo to give your soup oomph and onions and potato to give it body and you have all you need for a brilliantly simple and delicious broth.

Now the chorizo I've added into the soup is just to let the paprika goodness of the sausage mix altogether with the chili and garlic to give a delicious smoky undertone to this soup. Veggies do not panic! You can leave out the chorizo and replace with a tsp or two of smoked paprika or maybe even some cumin seeds for a more curry-esqe flavor. If your really brave I've read that star anise also works well with the greens in the soup. Pop in one of two of those in with the chili and garlic for a more aniseedy twist.

If your not a fan of chili you can opt to leave them out too. I like to whack in chilies, seeds and all into my soup as I'm a spice fan but if you just want a hint of heat then you can opt to leave out the seeds should you so desire. If you over do it and you find the soup to be too spicy, just mix through a tsp or two of creme fraiche or plain yogurt at the end to calm things down a bit.

Greens! So readily available but often so boring. Not in this super soup! I've opted for spinach and kale. They are super quick to cook through are packed full of goodness. If you want you can double the amount of one green and just use that if you cant get hold of one of the others or try experimenting with adding other greens in too. Peas, broccoli, that kind of business. As long as your max weight of greens is no more than 300g you'll be grand. With the majority of the flavor coming form the garlic, chili and chorizo it's a great way to get some vitamins and irons into your veg shy littleun's too.

If you have time you can pop your soup into a slow cooker after you have wilted the spinach and kale today really allow time to let those flavors infuse together. If you don't have time you can still whip up this recipe in less than 30 minutes. Take that Jamie Oliver!

Super Green Soup

2 Diced Red Chilies
4 Grated Garlic Cloves
150g Diced Chorizo
 2 Diced Red Onions
2 Tbsp Chopped Chives
 2 Medium Potatoes, Diced Into Small Cubes
1L Vegetable Stock
150g Spinach Leaves
150g Kale
 Salt And Pepper To Season

1. In a large lightly oiled pan on a medium heat throw in the chili, garlic and chorizo and fry until the chorizo has gone soft and released all its spicy red goodness into the oil.
2. Add in the onions and fry until they are beginning to soften before adding in 1 tbso of the chives and all the potatoes and fry for a further five minutes. 
3. Add in the stock and bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer for around 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to glide a knife through them 
4. Add in the spinach and kale. Your pan might be overflowing with greens at this point but give them a few minutes and they should wilt into the broth. At this point you can transfer to your slow cooker otherwise bring the pot back up to the boil and then simmer for a further five minutes. 
5. When you ready to serve, blitz the mixture with a blender to the texture of your choice and season with salt and pepper.

I only blend the soup a small amount as I quite like to have bit of texture from the kale, spinach and potatoes and every now and then you should get a delightful hit of chorizo.  Ladle out the soup into big bowls and garnish with the remaining tbsp of chives. You should get the delicious paprika flavors from the chorizo spices coming through with every mouthful together with garlic and chili heat. Plus your getting all the green goodness from the spinach and kale. Its a simple super soup that shows that you just need to be good to your greens to really make them the star of the show!