Chorizo and Peppers with Chickpeas

I cook this dish regularly - I love the slow stewing so I can get it on the go in advance of a brunch or as part of a Spanish meal, and the aromas are wonderful is it develops. As noted under the Hummus Recipe - this goes so well with hummus on toast, I like to make both at the same time.

"This recipe comes from one of my mum's best friends Lizzy Busby who always has great family friendly, and delicious recipes. This dish is best made using a chorizo high in fat and paprika content to meld the flavours while stewing"- Sally Girgis.

Pictured: Chorizo with Peppers, finished dish

1 large Spanish onion
2 - 3 red peppers (capsicum)
1 - 2 cloves garlic
3 - 4 long spicy chorizo sausage, sliced
1 tin chickpeas
Fresh flat leaf parsley
To serve
Crusty bread
Green salad dressed with a good vinaigrette

Slice onion, red peppers and garlic. Fry in a heavy based saucepan with a little oil for the aroma to release (2 minutes) then cover and lower heat.
Add chorizo and stew for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes add chickpeas and let cook for another 5 minutes.
Add a good handful of chopped flat leaf parsley before serving.
Serve with big green leaf salad and crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Serves 3 hungry people, 4 if you're having dessert or cheese!

TasteTip - Capsicum is the generic name for the pepper family and how we know it in Australia, yet as this is a Mediterranean dish the pepper name is used here. The most common colours are green, yellow, orange and red and vary in size and sweetness, green being the most savoury. You can also see them in purple and white now. Also called bell peppers or sweet peppers, as well as any of the hundreds of hot chilli peppers.

Chorizo, pronounced 'chor-eetho', is made all over Spain. Portugal also has their version 'chouriço'. All are made with pork and flavoured with pimentón - smoked paprika. The air-dried version can be sliced and eaten like salami but the smaller fresh sausages must be cooked before eating.

Pictured: Spanish Cookbooks