Chorizo, Butternut Squash & Spinach Risotto

Ah Valentine's Day, possibly the least romantic day of the year. Flowers and a nice meal shouldn't be a once a year occurance; if you're lucky enough to be in a happy relationship, you should do something romantic for the person you love all the time. If you're single, you shouldn't be made to feel bad about it by the tedious status updates of the 'OMG, just received an embarrassingly large bunch of flowers' variety.

Last year Chris managed to dislocate his shoulder on Valentine's Day, so this year I was just glad he wasn't high on morphine with his arm hanging off. As Valentine's Day is renound for being the absolute worst day to go out for dinner, we stayed at home and I cooked us chorizo, butternut squash and spinach risotto. Packed full of flavour from my favourite ingredients, it's simple enough for a midweek meal but special enough for a treat.

Serves 2 hungry people!
150g risotto rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml vegetable or chicken stock
100ml white wine
50g chorizo, skinned and chopped into small chunks
Half a butternut squash, peeled, deseeded
1 tbsp half fat creme fraiche
1 tbsp milk
2 handfuls of spinach

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Peel, deseed and cut the butternut squash into small chunks. Roast with a little oil and pepper for 45 minutes, until the flesh is soft
2. Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in a little butter until soft. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook until the chorizo has started to go crispy. Add the rice and cook for a further minute
3. Stir the wine into the rice, let it bubble away until it has cooked off completely. Gradually add the stock by the ladelful, stirring regularily, making sure all the liquid has bubbled away before you you add more
4. Once the butternut squash is done, add half to a blender with the creme fraiche and plenty of black pepper, wizz until you have a smooth paste. You don't want the paste to be too thick, so add a little milk to loosen it if necessary. Keep the rest of the squash warm in the oven whilst you finish the risotto
5. Once the rice has plumped up and only has a little bite left, stir in the butternut squash puree and spinach. Cook for a few more minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Divide between two warm bowls, topped with the roasted butternut squash and Parmesan

Chicken & Chorizo Stew

I made this easy one pot dinner a few weeks ago. Chorizo is one of my favourite ingredients as it does all the hard work for you, the incredible oil it releases adds plenty of flavour to whatever you're cooking without having to use dozens of ingredients. I added a little honey to sweeten the tomatoes and some hot sauce to add a little heat, paprika or chilli powder would also have been a welcome addition.

Serves 3
5-6 free range chicken thighs and/or legs
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped
100g chorizo, skinned & cut into 1cm chunks
Tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp hot sauce
Small bag spinach
Jacket potatoes & creme fraiche to serve

1. Fry the chicken in a little oil, until the skin has browned. The meat does not need to be cooked through at this stage as you will poach the chicken in the sauce later
2. Fry the onions, peppers and garlic over a medium heat in a little oil. Once softened add the chorizo and continue to fry until it releases its delicious oil and starts to colour
3. Add the chicken back to the pan with the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened
4. Add the spinach for the final few minutes. Once it has wilted, add the honey and hot sauce to taste along with plenty of seasoning. Serve with jacket potatoes and a big dollop of creme fraiche

Baked Eggs with Chorizo & Gruyere

Last weekend we had a mini Christmas day at the flat. We watched the Muppet Christmas Carol, ate chocolate orange and exchanged our presents. To start the day I made us these delicious baked eggs, they're really simple and utterly delicious, perfect for a special brunch.

Serves 2 people for brunch, or 4 for breakfast
80g chorizo, skinned & cut into 1cm chunks
Half a red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 eggs
50g Gruyere, grated
Plenty of seasoning & buttered toast to serve

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and pop a baking sheet in to warm up
2. Dry fry the chorizo and onion over a medium heat, the sausage will release plenty of delicious oil so there's really no need to add any extra. You want the onion to soften and the chorizo to crisp up, this should take around 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic a few minutes before the onion is cooked
3. Separate the mixture into 4 ramekin dishes, crack an egg over the top and season. Top with the Gruyere then place the ramekins onto the pre-heated baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes for soft egg yolks and 15 minutes for hard

Scrambled eggs with chorizo

On Wednesday night I played my favourite game of 'let's see what I can make from the random ingredients in my fridge'. The main ingredients I had were eggs and chorizo, I was going to make an omelette but decided instead to go for some scrambled eggs. I made a chorizo topping with red onion, garlic and thyme which goes surprisingly well with eggs. This recipe is great for a light dinner or a decadent breakfast.

Chorizo is one of my favourite ingredients as the delicious oil the sausage releases makes everything taste amazing with very little effort. Chorizo is a cured Spanish sausage, with an intense smoked paprika taste. Butternut squash risotto topped with chorizo, a little added to a traditional meatball recipe, or with a simple tomato sauce for pasta are all great ways of using this spicy sausage.

For the chorizo topping:
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g chorizo, chopped
Sprig of thyme, chopped

1. Add the onion to a heated pan, with a little oil and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic, chorizo and thyme and cook for a further 15 minutes until the onion is soft and the chorizo has released its paprika scented oil
2. Serve with scrambled eggs on toast

Onions & chorizo cooking:

Ready to eat: