Expand your Chorizons

The good news is that if you want to eat less meat it doesn’t take much pork to flavour a dish

Especially if you’re using chorizo – a spiced sausage that really pulls its weight in the kitchen

It was a sad day when I had to explain to my daughter that no, she could not become a vegetarian and still eat sausages, bacon and ham. It wasn’t as traumatic as the Father Christmas ‘discussion’ but it was close. I sympathise. The mere smell of bacon in the morning is enough to rouse me from the deepest slumber. Add the heady aroma of coffee brewing and I’m almost ambulatory.

The good news is that if you want to eat less meat it doesn’t take much pork to flavour a dish. Especially if you’re using chorizo – a spiced sausage that really pulls its weight in the kitchen. It’s redolent of pimentón – smoked chillies –and releases the most lovely scented fat when you cook it.

All of which I love in this simple dish of green beans with chorizo and breadcrumbs. I use only two chorizo sausages and it’s plenty to feed four as a side dish or two as a main. It gets a welcome boost from some extra pimentón and garlic and homemade breadcrumbs.

The breadcrumbs are a doddle. All you need is a bit of day (or two) old bread. I use the last of a lovely sour dough loaf. Tear it into pieces then blitz in the small bowl of a food processor until it forms a coarse crumb. If you have any leftover breadcrumbs simply pop them in the freezer for another day.

Green beans with chorizo & pimentón bread crumbs

Pimentón is smoked sweet paprika from Spain which you can find in most grocery stores or online. Traditionally, chillies were dried over wood fires giving them a lovely smoky flavour. I’ve used the mild pimentón but there is a hot version too if you’re so inclined. And you can omit the chorizo for a vegetarian dish – simply sauté the bread crumbs in a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Serves 3-4 or 2 as a main course

400g green beans (about 4 healthy handfuls)

2 chorizo sausages – around 140-150g

50g fresh bread crumbs made from a good quality bread such sour dough

½ clove garlic, finely mined

1 tsp pimentón

1 lemon finely zested

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating up, top the green beans by snapping off the stem end (leave the curly tail intact). When the water is boiling, salt generously. Add the green beans and cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes. They will go from a rather dull green colour to a more vibrant and deeper green. Test one every minute or so – it should be a bit flexible, tender but still firm. Drain in a colander and refresh with lots of cold water until cool. Set aside.

Remove the chorizo from its casing and crumble it up into a frying pan. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up into small chunks until it is lightly browned and the fat is rendered. Remove the fat from the pan and reserve. Add the garlic, pimentón and breadcrumbs. Stir with the chorizo and add a tablespoon of the reserved fat so the breadcrumbs are nice coated. Cook until the breadcrumbs are toasted. Taste – it probably won’t need extra salt since the chorizo is a bit salty but adjust if necessary.

Remove the sausage mixture from the pan. Add the green beans and a dash of the chorizo fat. Toss to heat up the beans and add in half of the lemon zest – save the rest to garnish the plate.

Place the beans on a serving platter, top with the chorizo and breadcrumb mixture and the remaining zest.

(Julie Leonard)