A heart-warming one-pot winter supper. Treat yourself to a hug in a bowl!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped into a small dice

1 fat clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

100 – 125g cooking chorizo, skinned and sliced into fat rings (about the thickness of 2 £1 coins)

2 – 4 chicken thighs, skinned, boned and cut into chunks (you can use pre-cooked or raw, I used some thighs I’d previously roasted with thyme and garlic oil I’d had the intention of using for sandwiches in the week but thought would be better used in this stew to help see me through a cold!)

400g (approx.) can chickpeas or beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

chicken stock (2 tbsp concentrated or 1 stock cube combined with 250ml water or 250ml fresh chicken stock)

2 tbsp Spanish sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar if you don’t have it or even a splash of red or white wine)

3 small potatoes  (about the size of a clementine!), diced into around 1 cm pieces

salt and pepper

1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves (optional)

 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a casserole or large, deep saucepan, over a low heat.
2. Throw in the onion and cook gently until soft. You want the onion to go translucent, not brown. This could take around 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
3. Add the carrot and cook gently until it starts to soften. You can see the carrot lighten in colour slightly and the oil take on an orange tint.
4. Now add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring so that it doesn’t burn. You just want to cook it until you no longer get hit by the harsh garlic fumes being released from the pan. The fumes turn to wafts of mellow garlic.
5. In goes the chorizo. Stir then leave for a few minutes so that the paprika oils start to come out of the meat. Once the oils start to appear and you’re using raw meat, you can add the chicken. Seal the chicken until it is pale brown all over.
6. Add the potatoes and paprika and stir well so that the paprika doesn’t burn.
7. Add the vinegar (or wine) and use this small amount of liquid to help you scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with your spoon. This, in cheffy terms, is called deglazing. It’s a perfect way of making sure you get the most amount of flavour from your ingredients into your sauce…and it makes cleaning your pan easier!
8. If you’re using pre-cooked chicken, now’s the time to add it to the pan. Season with pepper then add the stock and chickpeas and mix well.
9. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if the stew is getting too thick and becoming dry.
10. Taste to see if you need to add salt and more pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve in large bowls. Tuck in with a spoon.

To serve with the stew (optional but highly recommended!)

2 thin slices sourdough, ciabatta or bread of your choice

olive oil

1/2 small clove garlic

Method

1. Toast the bread.
2. Drizzle one side with the oil.
3. Rub the oiled side of the toast with the garlic.