Especially for Justina…

We all have food memories…

I lived in the country side in the south of France from the age of 8 to 16 and I have my greatest food memories from that period. Climbing on trees and stay up there for hours with friends eating cherries, going with my dad to pick wild asparagus. In Autumn in the garden, opening the chestnuts shells with our feet and grill them in the fireplace on a special pan made by my father, twisted with little holes. Me, moaning when my dad asked me to help to water the kitchen garden and then being so amazed when I ate tomatoes directly from the plant, the smell enhanced by the summer heat, the taste… Also, coming back from school, the smell of fried onions, homemade soups and lasagnes in the oven when you open the house door. It is something I can’t forget.

When I think soup I always think about my mum. We have been raised with homemade dishes every day and when I feel down or tired, I think about my mum and wish she would live closer to make me a soup….

Growing up with my dad who is Spanish, I have also been educated to Spanish food very early. My father in addition of being Spanish is also a mental-fool-obsessed with food. His fridge and freezer are always full as if he is waiting for an army for supper, he calls me when he is cooking something he knows I love, and has never told anyone (not even me!) where he picks those huge porcini mushrooms. When you ask him, he replies ‘I find them in the forest’ but never gives his tips or places.

I laugh and respect that as I know that mushrooms are sacred for him, as long as he cooks some for me, makes me preserved mushrooms and amazing tomato sauce (the best in the world) or when porcini are big enough, coated with breading , like veal. Beautiful.

So I have been raised with ‘vino de verano’ and chorizo.

Last time I was craving for a soup with chorizo. Didn’t know what kind of soup exactly but the kind of soup that kicks and warm you up at the same time, not a bland soup but something with character.

I went to buy chorizo, I had lentils and a few vegetables in the fridge so became my ‘Lentils and chorizo soup’.

 

‘Lentils and chorizo soup’ serves 4.

Ingredients :

– 200g lentils (soaked overnight or at least for 4 hours)

– 1 beef cube

– 2 potatoes

– 2 carrots

– 2 bunches of celery

– 2 little chorizo rosario 1 ‘picante’ 1 ‘dulce

– Salt and pepper

 

Method :

Bring to the boil 2 liters of water with the beef cube. Peel the potatoes, carrots, wash the celery. Cut  the vegetables  in big chunks and put everything in the water for around 20 min, add salt and pepper. Remove the chorizos’ skin, slice them and add them to the soup for 10 more min.

It is delicious, warm and a little bit spicy-hot, the perfect comfort food… Good news as February promises to be very cold in London !