Chestnut Chorizo Soup

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 spanish onion large, diced
• 1 medium carrot diced
• 1 celery stick diced
• 1 gram chorizo cut into cm cubes
• 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves chopped, I use 1 teaspoon of dried sometimes
• 2 red chillies smalls dried, crushed, I omit these because of the kids
• 1 can chopped tomatoes or 2 roughly chopped fresh tomatoes
• 3 7/16 cups chestnuts about a pound cooked, peeled, although you can get them fresh here, I usually use vacuum packed because I detest pee
• 4 tablespoons saffron threads infused in 3- boiling water
• 4 1/4 cups water
• sea salt
• pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat
2. Add the carrots, onions, celery, chorizo and a pinch of salt. Fry for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. When vegetables and chorizo have caramelized and turned quite brown, add the garlic, cumin, thyme and chili (if using). Cook for one more minute
4. Add the tomato and after two more minutes, the chestnuts. Stir.
5. Add the saffron infused liquid and the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and mash (I use my blender on a stick but you could also use a potato masher) until the soup is nearly smooth but still has a bit of texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

oil, onion, carrot, celery, gram chorizo, garlic, ground cumin, thyme, red chillies smalls, tomatoes, chestnuts, water, water, salt, pepper

Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/Chestnut-Chorizo-Soup-1651314 (may not work)