Aubergine soup with chorizo recipe

A bowl of comforting hot soup is always a winner on a cold day. The chilli gives it a bit of a kick and the chorizo imparts a delicious smoky flavour combined with the aubergine.

Serves 2 Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 large aubergine
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 2 shallots (chopped)
• ½ red chilli (de-seeded and chopped)
• 2 thsp olive oil
• 500mi chicken stock
• 2 thsp double cream
• 25g chorizo (chopped)
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

Instructions
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4 or 350°F
• Chop the aubergine into 2cm cubes and transfer to a roasting tray with the chopped garlic, shallots and chilli. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well and roast for 20 minutes.
• Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large saucepan and add the roasted vegetables to it. Simmer for 20 minutes before adding the cream.
• Transfer the soup to a blender and liquidise until smooth. If you want a really velvety texture, pass the mixture through a sieve before re-heating gently in the original saucepan. Season to taste.
• To serve, place half the chopped chorizo in the bottom of each bowl and pour the hot
soup on top.
• Swirl an extra tablespoon of cream into each serving for added richness and sprinkle a couple of basil leaves on top for decoration.