Wild Garlic and Chorizo Soup with Black Pudding

There is a definite feeling that spring is in the air, after all, the sun is shining, birds are tweeting, the clock will be changing and confusing everyone (one unforeseen consequence of the DVD revolution is that at least no-one has to fiddle with their VHS machine and spend 20 minutes shouting at it anymore)

And with spring comes new growth, and the start of the season where we wander the hills and dales looking at things we find on and under trees and wondering if they are safe to eat, and more importantly, can they be turned into soups?  (And the side-effect I've mentioned before, of people looking at me like I'm mad when I turn up to the local park with a carrier bag and start gathering nature's harvest)

So first up on the menu of things I have pulled out of the ground with my actual hands and not just bought in a shop is wild garlic, which I was introduced to a year ago when a friend made a wild salad when we were camping (It was a 40th birthday party and that salad was about the only fruit or veg that entered my body for 4 days, unless beer counts as part of my 5-a-day)

Although I knew what the plant looked like, and the smell of it (that wonderful onion-y, garlicky smell you often get when walking through woodland in springtime) I had no idea you could actually eat it - looking back, I think it was this incident that inspired me to find out what else is growing around us and eatable, so thanks for that Wendy!)

This delicate spring soup was made with freshly picked wild garlic (it doesn't keep very well)

100g Wild Garlic
100g Chorizo
100g Black Pudding
2 Onions
3 Medium Potatoes
1.5l Chicken Stock
2tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
Oil
Salt
Pepper

1.  Peel and finely chop the onion.  Cut the chorizo into thin slices (peel the tough outer skin off too, if you want.  I hate it as it makes the sausage chewy, so I usually remove it)

2.  Heat some oil in your pan.  Put the onion and chorizo in the pan and gently fry for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and the chorizo is starting to release its golden paprika infused oils

3.  Peel and cube the potatoes then add them to the pan. Add the minced garlic cloves  Let them cook for a few more minutes before adding the stock and balsamic vinegar.

4.  Bring the pan to the boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to break up - you can always give them a helping hand with a potato masher to start the breaking up. Check the seasoning at this point and add salt and pepper to taste

5. In a bowl, mash up the black pudding with a fork (it helps if the black pudding is at room temperature).  Then roll it into balls, about 1/2cm diameter.

6.  Heat some oil in a frying pan and gently fry the black pudding balls for 3-5 minutes, until they are cooked.

7.  Chop the wild garlic and add it to the soup, cooking for 5 minutes.

8. Pour the soup into the bowls and garnish with the black pudding balls and a few wild garlic leaves.

Enjoy!