Chorizo is a total store-cupboard staple for me, for so many reasons. It’s flavoursome and warming. Hearty but not heavy. *Endlessly* versatile. And, a total bargain ingredient!

Though I’d be happy eating vegetarian meals the vast majority of the time, Jason, like so many guys I know, needs a portion of something meaty with his dinners! I used to work on the basis of cooking at least two light, more inexpensive dinners of pasta each week and then the rest being heavier, meat-focused meals, but since we took pasta out of our diets and cut back on our wheat intake almost two years ago, it’s definitely lead to a hike in what we spend on food on a weekly basis.

Chorizo is always what I turn to instead of something heavier like beef or lamb, when I don’t want to bump up our week’s food bill with another more dear cut of meat. The lovely garlicky, paprika-spiked flavour is so strong a little goes a long way, and because it takes little, if any cooking, it’s *so* useful to have on hand in a pinch!

These three ‘ways with’ are some of my absolute favourite recipes for chorizo. The first is the lightest (so perfect as a summer evening meal, perhaps with a little good bread to dip into the yolk and chorizo oil), the second is laughably simple (throw ingredients into a dish, roast, and devour), and the third my absolute favourite way of using up leftover vegetables at the end of the week.

Let’s get to it…

O N E :: Warm chorizo salad with soft poached eggs.

Serves 2.
Ingredients ::
200g cured chorizo sausage
2 fresh eggs (fresh makes for easy poaching!)
2 large handfuls baby salad leaves
Lemon juice
Dried chilli flakes
Flaky sea salt

- Slice the chorizo into 1cm slices, and put into a dry griddle pan to warm through. Cook for a minute or so, turning occasionally, until the cut sides are slightly darkened and crispy. Set aside.

- Heat a pan of cold water with a dash of white wine vinegar added, until a film of fine bubbles form along the base and sides of the pan. Crack an egg into the centre of the pan (you can swirl the water first if you like to help the whites wrap round the yolk), and allow it to sit for 20 seconds or so before carefully checking to see if the whites are cooked through. Drain off excess water on kitchen paper.

- Dress the salad leaves in a squeeze of lemon juice and small pinch of flaky sea salt, then put the warm chorizo on top of the leaves followed by the poached eggs. Top the eggs with a sprinkling of chilli flakes, and eat right away.

T W O :: Butternut squash, red onion & chorizo traybake, with spiced yoghurt + fresh rosemary.

Serves 2/3
Ingredients ::
1 small butternut squash
1 red onion
190g cooking chorizo (usually in the deli section, alongside cooked meats)
1 tsp harissa spice mix
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
5tsp plain yoghurt
1/2tsp smoked paprika
1 sprig fresh oregano
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

- Peel the squash and cut into small 1 inch chunks, then peel and roughly cut the onion into slices. Put the squash and onion into a large roasting dish, and drizzle with a small dash of olive oil.

- Cut the links between the chorizo sausages, then add to the roasting dish. Sprinkle over the dried harissa mix, add in the fresh rosemary, and then place the dish into the oven for 25 minutes.

- After 25 minutes, remove the dish, drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and chorizo to liven up the flavours, then return to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool for 5 minutes or so.

- Mix together the yoghurt and smoked paprika (I used hot smoked, which was delicious!), drizzle a spoonful or two over the roasted chorizo, squash and onion, and then top with a few leaves of fresh oregano.

T H R E E :: Chorizo, spinach & feta frittata.

Serves 4 with a large salad to go alongside, or 2 with leftovers for the next day!
Ingredients ::
2 large handfuls baby spinach
100g cured chorizo
50g feta cheese
6 eggs

- Preheat a grill to a medium temperature, and begin to cook diced chorizo in a large, non-stick, oven-proof frying pan.

- When the chorizo’s warmed through (the dry-cured type doesn’t need cooking, unlike the cooking chorizo from the previous recipe) and has released a good amount of oil, turn the heat low and add in a couple of handfuls of spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt slowly, turning occasionally.

- Beat together the eggs, and after giving the pan a shake to even out the spinach and chorizo, pour in the beaten eggs. Cook slowly over a medium heat until the frittata is set at the edges and only a thin layer of raw egg is left on top, then crumble in the feta cheese, and set the pan under the grill to finish cooking.

- Check every minute or so for done-ness- the top should be a pale yellow colour and just set, but not at all puffed up or brown in colour. When cooked, run a spatula under the frittata to loosen it from the pan, carefully turn out, and then allow the frittata to cool and set for at least 10 minutes before serving.