orrechiette with asparagus, feta and chorizo

 

chorizo makes frequent appearances in my cooking but, unless there is a pizza involved, it rarely appears in its pre-sliced form. however, a pack of mildly-flavoured chorizo slices which i was sent by abel & cole got me thinking.

i spoke to various friends who had lots of great ideas for using chorizo (or salami for that matter) slices but the idea that caught my fancy simply involved dry-frying it so that the edges crisp up, much as it would on a pizza. i added the juice of a lemon to the pan when it was done, to make a dressing from the oil which the meat released, and then used this to garnish a fresh summery pasta dish of broad beans, asparagus and feta cheese.

this was a really good use of the chorizo (which i’d otherwise have nibbled on with a glass of red wine) and is a nice way to lift a gentle and mildly flavoured dish. i particularly liked the way the chorizo took on a slight lemony tang which made it particularly mouth-watering.

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the magic of chorizo... and lemon...

i love cooking with chorizo and several years ago discovered the magic that occurs if you fry it (in a dry pan) and, when it is cooked through having released it’s wonderfully smokey paprika oils, add lemon juice.

this creates a fabulous base for lots of dishes as the lemon cuts through the oil and lightens things. i think it works particularly well if you add prawns or scallops to the equation and use this as the basis for a warm salad.

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chorizo and watercress linguine

i do love a simple pasta recipe!

this watercress and chorizo dish is just the thing if you’re looking for something with a bit of a kick and as an anecdote for warming, but sometimes bland, soups, casseroles and stews which often turn into the good default choice in this chilly weather.

it’s also fantastically simple, only have 4 ingredients – chorizo, watercress, lemon and pasta! you do need parmesan for serving. and, because it's so delicious and so easy, i'm sending this dish over to ivy at kopiaste who is hosting presto pasta nights.

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easy spanish chicken

this was a very quick and simple supper. chicken thighs and new potatoes, roasted together for 35-40 minutes. but, to make it a bit different i mixed the new potatoes with some crushed garlic and smoked paprika and slid slices of chorizo between the skin and meat of each chicken thigh. a drizzle of olive oil and the juice of a lemon, before going into the oven, were the final touches to this quick roasted supper with an abundance of spanish warmth.

pea and chorizo hash

 

having bought a big bag of potatoes for my bay dauphinoise, i’ve been thinking of different ways to use up the leftover spuds. in fact, i’ve been focusing on using up leftovers and things which have been lingering in my freezer/cupboards generally, for quite a while. as a result some of the meals we’ve been eating have been a bit random and definitely not blogworthy! however, this pea and chorizo hash was a flavour combination which worked very well and which i’d happily repeat.

i decided to boil my potatoes a little before adding them to the pan to finish cooking with the chorizo. i find this sort of par-cooking and then just finishing everything off together, much easier than trying to guess the timing when juggling lots of different ingredients. i’m sure you could do it the other way if you’d prefer.

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