Sausage, when used in smaller amounts, is a powerhouse flavor booster. If you get the really good Iberico chorizo from acorn-fed pigs, a lot of the fat is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. You will find the combination of chorizo and chickpeas (representing the Christian and Muslim strains in Spanish cooking) to be a nice match, as I did in the old Moorish quarter of Sevilla. They served a cold chickpea salad with black olives and grilled chorizo that I thought, if accented with charred onions, would make a warming and hearty stew. Note that I say charred and not burnt. It’s a fine line, but an important one.
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh chorizo
- 1 pound chickpeas, picked over and soaked overnight
- 2 medium onions, halved, divided
- 1 rib celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup pitted black olives
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh chives
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup fresh chervil leaves
- 2 lemons juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
How to Make It
- preheat a skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the chorizo from its casing and add it to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the chorizo has rendered out its excess fat. Set aside.
- In a large pot, combine the chickpeas, half of the onions, the celery, garlic, carrot, thyme, and bay leaf. Fill with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chickpeas are firm but tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the rendered chorizo, the paprika, and the salt and pepper. Cover the pot and let sit for 25 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Grill the remaining onion until charred, about 5 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, chop and fold the onion into the chickpeas. Add the olives, parsley, chives, cilantro, and chervil and gently stir to incorporate. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil.