Chorizo & Chickpea Stew with Broadbean & Dill Dip

What a weekend we just had, I call it the lost motorsport weekend.  First up there was the Le Mans 24 Hour race, followed by the Silverstone Moto GP and rounded off with the epic 5 1/2 hour Canadian F1 GP, where Jenson Button clashed into two cars, had 6 pit stops, one drive through penalty and went from last to win it in the last half lap.  Phew heady stuff going on, so I had to take a little break and do something calmer in the kitchen.

I had just downloaded The Guardian News app and found a lovely quick and easy recipe from Nigel Slater for Broadbean and Dill Dip.
 

1kg Broadbeans - once podded you are left with a measly 300g and once you have boiled them for 8 mins and then taken off their tough grey skins, you are left with about 200g.  Nigel's recipe calls for 400g.

3 tbs Olive Oil

Juice of half a lemon

Fresh dill, torn into fairly chunky fronds

S&P

With my de-podded, boiled and de-skinned broadbeans safely popped into the food processor, I blitzed them to a paste.  Then with the blender still going added the oil and the lemon juice, swiftly followed by a little seasoning.  Stir in the dill and serve with a drizzle of oil and some lightly toasted pitta breads.

A lovely fresh little dip.  It would probably have been a bit more punchy if I had used EVOO but I had none in the cupboard.  The 200g of beans were enough as a prelude to the main course.

Chorizo & Chickpea Stew

Serves 2-3 easily increased

Lovely Louise's signature dish for guests, a simple yet spectacular and very warming & hearty dish perfect on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon in front of the TV watching motorsport!

Half a ring of Chorizo no idea on weight but approx 14cm, cut in half length ways and chop in to 1cm chunks.

1 large onion, roughly chopped

400g tin Chopped tomatoes

400g tin of chickpeas

Tomato puree

Chilli flakes or fresh chilli's if you have them to taste.

Cumin

300ml chicken stock

Pop the chorizo and onion into a pan and fry, soften the onions and crisp up the chorizo, around 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and puree, a good squirt along with the chilli flakes approx 1 tsp and cumin approx 1tsp. Pour over the stock and simmer away till reduced slightly around 20mins.  Add the chickpeas and heat through.  Serve with chopped coriander (if you have it - I did not) and warmed flatbreads to mop up all the lovely juices.