It seems a very long time since I’ve written a food post – probably because it has been a very long time! But as I cooked this fabulous dish and then sat down to write the recipe it felt like coming home. Food has the ability to do that – it soothes, it comforts, it brings people together and it makes the world feel like a safer place.

This is just the dish to achieve all of the above. It’s easy enough to double or triple the recipe if you want to feed a horde, it’s hearty and full of flavour and perfect to chase away the winter blues – although I’d be inclined to make this at any time of the year. Currently it’s mid-winter in New Zealand and bringing a touch of Spanish sunshine to my kitchen helps to brighten the cold and dark evenings.

You might think it strange that for the feature shot of this post I’ve used a photo of the raw ingredients. There is a reason. I like to make an effort when cooking this type of dish (or any type of dish) to source the very best of ingredients. I made a trip to my local gourmet market and picked up some beautiful tiger prawns and authentic Spanish chorizo (the real thing).

I was out of sherry vinegar and happy to grab a bottle of the authentic vinegar imported from Spain. The Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) is always in my pantry. That’s not to say you need to hunt around for imported vinegar or authentic chorizo. It’s simply my preference. Cook this with whatever you have to hand in your fridge and pantry and it will still be delicious.

So wherever you are in the world and whether it be summer or winter, bring a small touch of Spain to your kitchen with these delicious flavours.

Chorizo & Bean Stew

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón)
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
• 4 chorizo sausages
• 400g tinned tomatoes
• 100g semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 60ml water
• 400g tinned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• ½ teaspoon caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 8 large raw prawn cutlets (preferably tiger prawns)
• Bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

Add the olive oil to a pre-heated pan. You’ll see from the photos below that I like to cook the stew in a dish that I can take straight to the table to serve from. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so.

Slice the chorizo on the diagonal into pieces. Not too thin – you want generous pieces as it will shrink as it cooks. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and chilli flakes into the dish and stir through the onions and garlic. Let it sizzle for a minute or so before adding the chorizo. Combine well and let cook for a couple of minutes so the chorizo can get a bit of colour.

Add the tinned tomatoes, semi-dried tomatoes, water, cannellini beans, caster sugar, salt and bay leaves. Grind over some pepper. Stir everything together well. Lastly, add 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and stir through.

Once the sauce comes to a simmer, cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare the prawns. Make sure you have a heavy-based frying pan hot and ready to go.

Give the prawns a rinse and pat them dry. Season with a little salt and pepper and then drizzle with olive oil. Place the prawns in the hot pan and fry each side until they are gorgeously pink and opaque.

Once the sauce has been simmering for 15 minutes, remove the lid and add the prawns. Stir through. Have a taste of the sauce to check the seasoning. At this stage I add the second tablespoon of sherry vinegar. Finally stir through the fresh parsley (keeping a little aside for garnishing). No need to chop the parsley – this is a hearty and rustic dish and I like to throw in the whole parsley leaves.

Now you’re ready to serve. Sprinkle over the remaining parsley to garnish and take straight to the table. This dish smells so fantastic that you’ll have impatient people, forks in hand, ready to dive in.

I suggest you serve this dish with nothing more than a crisp green salad and some crusty bread because let me tell you that mopping up the sauce just has to be done.

Enjoy!