Sunday 13 March 2011

Garlic rubbed bruscettas with smashed broad beans and cripsy chorizo

We're going away next week for my 30th birthday. As yet I still don't know where to but good food is apparently involved.

I'm very impressed that Mathew's managed to organise it and keep it secret from me, though as the chief organiser in our house it feels slightly odd to have the tables turned on me - still, I'm loving the surprise and can't wait to get there, I am a lucky lady.

I usually plan what we'll be eating for the week ahead on Saturday morning and buy what I need for those dishes in one go (I am Hannah the planner after all) but as we're not here I wanted to make good use of some ingredients I've already got hanging around.

Broad beans are a staple freezer ingredient in our house (they're so versatile even if they are a pain in the backside to shell) as are the plump and delicious chorizos I used in this dish - our butcher gets them straight from Spain and they really are excellent. In fact, the only thing I didn't have in was the baguette - so good brownie points today for being extra thrifty.

These would make a great dinner party starter or canape, and the broadbean topping would go well with all sorts of other dressings; quails egg, crisp pancetta and pecorino cheese are just a few that spring to mind.

For two:
8-10 rounds of thinly sliced baguette
300g shelled broad beans - I find them easiest to shell if they've been blanched in boiling water for a couple of minutes after coming out of the freezer (plus you don't get chilblains)
1 spring onion, finely sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
One garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
2 cooking chorizo sausages (each about 3" in length) the chorizos for cooking with are very soft and young, don't cook with the much firmer variety, they're not designed for cooking and won't blacken up deliciously
Juice of half a lemon. They must be peeled and cut into smallish dice
Sea salt
Red pepper tapenade is optional but tasty. Make it with 1 fresh red pepper and 1 red pepper from a jar - instructions below

Method:
- For the tapenade (should you fancy making it) roast the peeled fresh pepper in the oven for around 1 hour at 160degrees, until the pepper begins charring at the edges but still looks plump, blitz it with the red pepper from a jar and a glug of extra virgin until you have a thick paste. Set aside
- In a food processor combine the broad beans, a generous glug of extra virgin and the lemon juice, pulse until you have a coarse mix, remove and set aside
- Heat a frying pan on a high heat, turn on your extractor fan or open a window (the chorizos create a lot of smoke!) after a couple of minutes place the diced chorizo into the pan, then cook for around 10 minutes whilst tossing frequently. You're looking for them to really colour up and become very dark around the edges - divine.
- When the chorizos are done remove them from the pan and set aside, then add a glug of olive oil to the pan and the red chorizo oil, and place in your baguette rounds. Fry on a medium heat for a few minutes then turn over. Remove after a few minutes and set aside. 
- Taking the cut side of the half garlic clove, rub it over the surface of one side of the baguette, do this with all the pieces
- Now to assemble. A tablespoon of the broad bean mix, followed by the red pepper tapenade if you're using that too, then some chorizos, and the spring onions. 
- Eat - goes especially nice with a little fizz. 

4 comments:

  1. I love bruscetta and chorizo. I rarely use broadbeans but I'm sure they're great in this.

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  2. Hi Corina, they're a great combo, I especially like it when the chorizo's really cripy and hot and the broadbeans all silkly and cool

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  3. I need to buy some frozen broad beans on my next trip shopping. Which supermarket do you buy them from? x

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  4. I've tried loads of different ones and think the best by far are Co-ops own, quite large and very fresh and plump x

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