chorizo chowder

this is a recipe from ainsley harriott and a firm winter favourite. use whole chorizo sausages and slice them yourself, since the ready-sliced chorizo you can buy are too thin for this soup. chorizo is a smoked spanish sausage spiced with paprika and garlic.

heat butter in a large pot and gently fry 1 finely chopped onion, 4 crushed cloves of garlic and 500g peeled and cubed potatoes for about 15 minutes. add 1 thinly sliced leek and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. stir through and cook for another few minutes.

add 1 litre of vegetable stock, bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and beginning to break up. use a potato masher and roughly mash the potatoes.

slice 250g chorizo sausage into 1cm slices and add to the soup. simmer until the soup turns to a rich orange from the sausages.

i serve this with italian bread slices which i butter and grill till brown.