Chorizo and Butterbean Stew.

I am a bad blogger.

Various ‘trying to be a grown-up’ stresses  involving the big black hole that is life after university is responsible for this meaning it’s been nearly a month since I last posted. 

Don't worry I haven't stopped eating (pffft as if…) but if I'm honest I’ve just been eating on autopilot a lot recently - if I had continually blogged this space would literally just have become a tribute to pasta.

However, I endeavor for this all to change. 

I concluded that many of my fail safe eats which I can make with my eyes shut are just that – fail safe and with good reason, because they're YUMMY. So I've decided to blog about them over the next few weeks and here is the first of them. 

This is a recipe that I’ve been sitting on for a while, I first made it at the beginning of this academic year and have been honing it since. It hits all the spots of hearty comfort food with yum factor and apart from the chorizo is very economical. If you’re looking to be especially frugal though, reduce the amount of chorizo you put in it. The sausage’s flavor will still permeate the stew - the final result will just be a little less meaty.

I tend to do it as a bit of a make it up as I go along type thing here, so just keep tasting it and adjusting it how you like it - saltier, sweeter, spicier etc. a squeeze of lemon in at the end might be nice too!

1 white onion, diced.

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed

1 chili, chopped (or more, or less, depending on how hot you like it)

half a ring of chorizo, peeled if necessary and chopped into small-ish chunks

any other veg you fancy (i used chopped yellow peppers but you could use anything that stews well from mushrooms to new potatoes)

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 can butterbeans

1 can chopped tomatoes

500ml chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp sugar

large handful sugar snap peas

salt and freshly ground pepper.

Sweat the onion until translucent, then add chorizo and any other veg. 

when the sausage  starts to leak it oils add the chilli, garlic, thyme and paprika, sweat this until fragrant, then add the beans, chopped tomatoes, stock and sugar.

Season liberally and simmer until the water evaporates, the sauce has thickened and everything is tender.

Throw in the sugar snaps in the last 5 minutes of cooking so they remain nice and crunchy, check/adjust seasoning.

Serve with crusty bread. 

Admittedly not the prettiest, but mega yumm, I promise.