A straightforward, simple and tasty stew. Ready in under ten minutes and perfect for midweek meals. Juicy, meaty sausage with the umami tang of kale, bolstered by the satisfying bite of chickpea.
Chorizo, kale and chickpea stew:
130g chorizo, diced
1 onion, diced
150g kale, chopped
500ml chicken stock
1 tin chickpeas, drained
Fry the chorizo in a pan until starting to brown. Put to one side.
In the same pan fry the onion. When starting to soften put the chorizo back in, then add the stock.
When the stock starts to simmer add the chickpeas and the kale.
Simmer for ten minutes or until the chickpeas are tender. Season as necessary.
Food Urchin is a jolly good blogger. Very entertaining, passionate about his food and nothing if not pragmatically resourceful, as he attempts to be fed daily by generous foodsters. A post of his popped up containing Two Soups, and one in particular caught my eye. It’s earthy, it’s Wintry, it’s warm and has two of my favourite things in: chorizo and chestnuts. Reminds me a little of another chorizo soup I did, though it sounds a little more interesting.
It’s a fairly simple (and quick) soup, of the bung-it-in-a-pot-and-simmer variety, which is endearing. A couple of tweaks I made though: not so fussed about chilli in my house so left that aside and instead added a measure of smoky sweet paprika. Then as I was about to serve I thought a couple of dressings would really lift the final bowl: a swirl of seasame oil to remind of the rich nuttiness, and a drizzle of sweetest balsamic vinegar to give a nice acid finish. It’s a really lovely bowl of soup, and served with some brown bread it’s perfect for these dark October evenings. Thanks Food Urchin 🙂
Chestnut and chorizo soup:
1 large onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stick, thinly sliced
120g chorizo, diced
2 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tin tomatoes
500g cooked peeled chestnuts (fresh or vacuum-packed), roughly chopped
20 saffron threads, infused in 3-4 tbs boiling water
1 ltr water
sesame oil and balsamic vinegar to serve
Fry the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, chorizo and a pinch of salt for about 10 minutesuntil browned.
Add the cumin, thyme and paprika and cook for 1 more minute, followed by the tomato and chestnuts.
Give everything a stir and then add the saffron-infused liquid, the water and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Season well with salt and pepper and lightly pulse it with a hand blender. Serve with a drizzle each of oil and vinegar, with breadsticks or bread on the side.
A quick and easy dinner, colourful and tasty. An a darned good excuse to try out my new knife! Tender egg, fresh parsley, meaty chorizo and sweet onion in one parcel. Partnered with a rocket and chard salad, drizzled with a brisk dressing inspired by Wagamama this is great meal for a dinner in a rush.
Chorizo omelette (serves 2):
4 eggs, beaten and seasoned
2 tablespoons parsley
100g chorizo, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
For the salad:
Mixed leaves (I used rocket and red chard)
For the salad dressing:
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Fry the onion in a little butter and oil until soft.
Add the chorizo and continue frying until it releases it’s orangey juices. Remove the chorizo and onion from the pan to one side.
In the same pan add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Heat until the bottom starts to set and add the chorizo and onion back to the pan.
Fold in half and allow to cook for a minute more or until done how you like it. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over.
For the salad dressing, whisk it all together until lightly emulsified and drizzle over the leaves.
Another superfast delight from the pages of Olive magazine. This was the first time I’d worked with a fennel bulb, having enjoyed the potent seeds for a long time. But the satisfying almost lemony crunch of the fennel means I’ll be coming back for more.
Pork, chorizo and fennel stir-fry:
2 pork escalopes, cut into bitey pieces
100g chorizo, diced
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
Handful of green beans, halved
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
200ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine
Dried onion to serve
Fry chorizo in a hot pan until darkening at the edges and releasing its oil. Remove from the pan.
Fry the pork with the zest in the same pan until white all over, seasoning as you go. Add a splash of wine, lemon juice, the fennel and onion and fry until the latter are tender.
Add green beans, stock and chorizo and cook for a few minutes until the beans are done to your liking.
