The art of comfort eating

These tapas make the most of the chorizo’s smoky flavour. All they need is some bread, slices of Manchego cheese.

For the chorizo in red wine

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 300g chorizo, cut diagonally into 2.5cm chunks
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 200ml red wine

For the prawns with chorizo

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 300g chorizo, cut diagonally into ½cm slices
• pinch sea salt
• 8 medium-sized prawns, shell on
• 50ml dry sherry
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Preparation method

1. For the chorizo in red wine, heat a frying pan until medium hot, add the olive oil, shallot and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the chorizo to the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp and the oil is released.
3. Add the bay leaves and red wine, and cook until the volume of wine has reduced to just coat the chorizo.
4. For the prawns with chorizo, heat a frying pan until medium hot, add the olive oil and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the chorizo and fry for a further 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the sea salt and prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the prawns are just pink.
6. Add the dry sherry and deglaze the pan.
7. Tip into a serving dish and sprinkle over the parsley.

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In English that’s Prawns peri-peri. This dish is spicy, garlicy and generally served with it’s juices sizzling and accompanied with warm bread. I wish I was eating this in Spain right now with some lovely Spanish red. 

• 4 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 chillies (hot or mild, to taste), deseeded, chopped
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (or if not available, standard paprika will do)
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 300g king prawns- fresh/raw if possible but frozen ones that have a decent
• 2 table spoons chopped parsley

Method

• Heat the oil over a gentle heat and add the garlic, chillies, paprika and onion. Cook until the onion is soft, without any colour.
• Add the prawns to the pan, and increase the heat slightly. Cook for 5-10 minutes (If you are using raw prawns, add to the pan and cook until the prawns have turned dark pink ).
• Add the chopped parsley
• Serve with crusty bread to mop up the flavoursome juices

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Ingredients:

- olive oil

- 1/2 c. chopped pancetta or streaky bacon

-1 medium chicken, cut into portions

-3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 medium onion, sliced

- 3/4 c. chopped tomatoes

- 2 tbsps. capers

- 20 mushrooms

- 1/4 c. sherry or marsala

- 1/2 sweet red peppers, sliced

- 1 1/2 c. chicken stock

- 1 sprig of thyme

- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

- salt

- fresh basil 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Fry the pancetta or bacon in tbsp. of olive oil until medium brown. Take out of the pan and set aside. Season the chicken with 1 tsp. of salt. In the same pan, brown the chicken pieces then set aside. Still in the same pan, saute the garlic for 2 minutes, then add the sliced onions and fry until softened. Add the mushrooms and sugar and fry for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the basil. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasonings. Transfer to an oven proof dish, cover with foil and bake for an hour. Remove the foil and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the torn basil before serving with short pasta.

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Roast belly of pork with root vegetables…

Ingredients:

- 1.8 kg belly pork, skin on

- 4 tbsp cider vinegar

- 3 tbsp pork dripping or butter

- 8 bay leaves, crushed

- 1 whole garlic, sliced in half

For the root veg:

- 4 parsnips, cut into long wedges

- 400g carrots

- 6 whole shallots

- 3 sprigs fresh thyme

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 55g spinach

Method

- The night before, boil a kettle and pour the boiling water over the pork skin (this method will give you better crackling). Discard the water.

- Next, baste the raw joint with cider vinegar; rubbing it all over to ensure the vinegar gets into the rind. Place the joint on a plate in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. 

- Remove the pork from the fridge and spread with the dripping or butter, crushed bay leaves and garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, set aside for the flavours to develop.

- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

- Place the pork, skin side up, on a wire rack that fits over an empty roasting tray. Roast for one hour and then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

- Place the parsnips, carrots and shallots into the bottom of a roasting tray; add the thyme and olive oil and a glass of water. 

- Remove the tray from beneath the pork and pour any fat that has gathered in the bottom of the tray over the vegetables; place the vegetables tray underneath the pork.

- Roast for a further hour, basting the vegetables with the juices from the pork in the bottom of the pan from time to time.

- Remove the pork from the wire rack and allow to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

- Toss the spinach leaves with the vegetables from the roasting pan. Drain off any fat leaving the cooking juices behind.

- Carve off the crackling in one piece and portion. Serve the pork with the roasted root vegetables and gravy.

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ red onion, finely chopped

 ½ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 raw chorizo sausages, cut into small chunks

55g tomato purée

55g sun-blushed tomatoes, chopped

 200ml red wine

2 garlic cloves

250g short pasta, such as penne

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh basil to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the onion and chilli and cook for two minutes.

2. Add the chorizo and cook for a further five minutes, or until golden brown all over.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, apart from the pasta. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. To serve, stir the pasta into the sausage mixture, then pour onto a serving plate and garnish with fresh bas

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A friend at work got me thinking about Risotto today and I really love eating these risotto balls. When I had them last we made them out of home-made beetroot risotto!

• 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 6 cups risotto, cooked, spread on a baking sheet, chilled
• 24 (1/4 pound) mozzarella, cut into ½ cubes
• 2 cups flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups bread crumbs, fine

1. Dip fingers in water and shape 2 rounded tablespoons chilled risotto into a (1 1/2”) ball around a cube of mozzarella. Roll in palm of hands to make a smooth ball. Place ball on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Repeat until you have formed 32 balls. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigeration until ready to fry. (The recipe may be prepared a day in advance to this point.)
2. In a large pot or Dutch Oven, heat oil to 360€F-370€F. (Use a deep fat or candy thermometer to gauge the temperature).
3. Put flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate bowls. For each risotto ball: roll in flour and shake off excess; dip in egg and let excess drip off; roll in bread crumbs; transfer to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
4. Using a metal slotted spoon or skimmer, lower six balls into the oil. Fry until golden brown, approximately 3 to 3 1/2 minutes per batch of six. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat until all the balls are fried.
5. The risotto balls are best if served immediately. They may be held in a 250€F oven while the remaining balls are fried.

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