Chimichurri chickpeas and chorizo
A World Cup winner
Look, I know fans of football and Jude Bellingham were devastated by England’s World Cup Semi Final loss on Wednesday night. But did anybody spare a thought for the lifestyle and digital editors who’ve had to scrap this weekend’s ‘Watch Party Buffets’ and ‘Soccer-suited Picky Bits’ content schedules and listicles?
Gutted for them.
I admit I had been pondering something tenuously ‘It’s Coming Home’ related for these pages. Although had only got as far as the pork belly vindaloo recipe in Crave.
(tbf it is really tasty)
But I’m actually very happy things turned out the way they did – as last night the need to publish something entirely different got the old creative juices flowing very nicely indeed.
I’m not sure yet whether I’m backing Spain or Argentina in Sunday’s final. Will it be a tortilla, jamon and a Basque cheesecake kinda day?
Or a flame-grilled steak and chimichurri occasion?
(This reel is one of the first I made… so is mighty dated, but I absolutely stand by the recipe and message within it.)
In the end I sat on the fence, with something that’s a little bit Spanish, and a little bit Argentinian, reasoning that it’s no bad thing to support both countries – let football (and your food) be the winner, right?
And so, the Spangentinian dish that thrust its way to the front of my mind involves the spirit of chimichurri (masses of oregano, parsley, red wine vinegar, a tickle of dried chilli) passed through really good, warmed chickpeas; juicy and intense cooking chorizo braised with a splash of white wine; and some sweet and sharp roasted peppers to cut through the rich and savoury flavours.
You could happily enjoy it before The Big Match.
Although, putting timely inspiration aside, this is really just a dish that you should throw together at any moment over the next weeks and months, for no other reason than you fancy something really tasty, simple, and speedy. It’s little more than an assembly of (very) good things: the peppers, like the chickpeas, are tipped from a jar; and the chorizo takes less time and effort to cook than a disappointing ready meal. But also more than the sum of it’s parts.
G’wan,
have a shot
get stuck in
put it on a plate
give it a try – I know you’ll love it.
This week’s recipe, plus a few Exmouth Market-shaped restauranty words, are for paid supporters of Rocket & Squash | A Cook’s Digest.
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