Spanish Green Pea Soup with Chorizo and Mint Recipe
This soup combines the sweetness of green peas with the bold flavor of chorizo and the freshness of mint. In Spain, hearty soups like this often appear for dinner when evenings get cooler, but you still want something lighter than a stew. The flavors are a bit like Polish pea soup with a meaty addition, but with a Spanish character and a hint of mint.
This soup is a simple way to bring Spanish flavors into your everyday kitchen: smoky chorizo, sweet peas and fresh mint create a comforting yet light dish that works both as a quick dinner and as an elegant starter for guests.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality chorizo – ideally semi-cured or cooking chorizo – because its rendered fat is the base of the soup’s flavor. Don’t skip briefly frying the smoked paprika with the potatoes; this step opens up its aroma and gives the broth depth and color. Taste the soup before salting, as chorizo and stock can already be quite salty.
How to serve
Serve the soup in warm bowls, topped with fresh mint and optionally a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. It pairs well with rustic bread, garlic bread or a simple tomato salad. For a more filling meal, add a soft-boiled egg on top of each portion or serve with a Spanish-style tortilla on the side.
Ingredients
- green peas - 500 g
- chorizo - 120 g
- potatoes - 250 g
- onion - 1 piece
- garlic - 2 cloves
- vegetable stock - 1 l
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- mint - 6 leaves
- smoked paprika - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt
- black pepper
Preparation
- Slice the chorizo into thin rounds. Peel the onion and finely dice it. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes (about 1 cm).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chorizo slices and fry for 3–4 minutes until the fat renders and the sausage is lightly browned. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
- In the same pot, add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes over medium heat until softened and slightly translucent, without browning too much. Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds, stirring.
- Add the diced potatoes, sprinkle in the smoked paprika, stir and fry for 2 minutes so the potatoes are coated in the fat and spice.
- Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender (check with a fork – they should pierce easily but still offer slight resistance).
- Add the frozen peas, stir and cook for another 5–7 minutes, until the peas are tender but still bright green.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Ladle out about one-third of the soup (with potatoes and peas) into a bowl and set aside. Blend the remaining soup in the pot with a hand blender until smooth.
- Return the reserved vegetables and the fried chorizo slices to the blended soup. Stir and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Finely chop the mint leaves just before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with mint and serve immediately.
Storage
Zupę przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku, po ostudzeniu wstaw do lodówki. Przy podgrzewaniu rób to na małym ogniu, aby groszek nie stracił koloru. Do mrożenia lepiej odłożyć część bez mięty i dodać świeżą miętę dopiero po rozmrożeniu i podgrzaniu.
