Spain is in the final for the World Cup!!!

So I'm super psyched because the Spanish national team has managed to beat Germany!!! This is despite their less-than-stellar performance so far in the World Cup, so they really need to be on their A-game to win it. Therefore it will be Spain vs. Netherlands for the final game, which should be interesting to watch.

I've borrowed Soup Kitchen: The ultimate soup collection from the ultimate chefs including Jill Dupleix, Donna Hay, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Tetsuya, edited by Annabel Buckingham and Thomasina Miers, from the library. It is a good collection for soup lovers like me and has a great variety of all different kinds of soups inside its pages. In honor of Spain winning today's game, I thought I would share this recipe that I found inside that looks yummy (the cookbook is British so it's got metric measurements, but I've tried to make approximate American measurements).

Chestnut and Chorizo Soup (Sopa de Castanas)
Serves 4

4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
120g (4.2 oz) mild cooking chorizo, cut into 1 cm (1/3 inch) cubes
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 small dried red chiles, crushed
2 tomatoes, fresh or tinned, roughly chopped
500g (1.1lbs) cooked peeled chestnuts
20 saffron strands, infused in 3-4 Tbsp. boiling water
1 litre (33.8 oz) water

In a large saucepan, heat oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, chorizo and a pinch of salt and fry for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything caramelizes and turns quite brown. This gives the soup a wonderfully rich color and taste. Now add the garlic, cumin, thyme and chili and cook for 1 more minute, followed by the tomato and, after about 2 minutes, the chestnuts. Give everything a good stir, then add the saffron-infused liquid and the water, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash by hand (with a potato masher) until almost smooth but still with a little bit of texture. Season with salt and pepper. (From Moro The Cookbook, Ebury Press, 2001)