I love taking inspiration from other food bloggers, and this recipe was inspired by just that. I recently saw a similar recipe posted by Lindsay from ‘Always Make Thyme,’ except Lindsay’s recipe was a Cod, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew.
After reading her recipe, I soon discovered I also share Lindsay’s obsession with chorizo. I’m still well-stocked up on it too, after my recent visit to the Foodie’s Festival (where I bought my own body-weight in the stuff). So, a Spanish-inspired dish using the meaty, spicy sausage was on the cards anyway, sooner or later!
My creation includes juicy king prawns, sweet potato, chickpeas and spinach and is finished with some fresh lemon juice and parsley. The shrimp paste is optional, but I do find it adds a mellow fish-flavour, which brings the prawns and Spanish sausage together nicely.
This dish serves 4 and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. It’s a complete meal, but if you want to serve with a bit of crusty bread then you can!
What you need:
- 5 raw, peeled, king prawns per person
- 1 chorizo sausage, 225g, peeled and sliced
- 1 onion, very finely diced (I used a half of a huge Japanese onion from my colleague’s allotment!)
- 1 large sweet potato, diced into 1cm cubes
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp smoked (or normal) paprika
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced using a garlic crush
- 1 tin peeled plum tomatoes, chopped with scissors
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp Calvia Rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp dried Thyme
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- 1 bunch fresh spinach
- 400ml organic chicken stock (I use Kallo)
- 1 small pinch shrimp paste (optional)
- half juice 1 fresh lemon
- handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
What to do:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan and add the diced onion. Fry over a low-medium heat for 5-7 minutes until very soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic cloves and continue to gently fry for 3 minutes.
Add the chorizo, paprika and season with a pinch of salt, cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the now-chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, dried herbs and stir well.
Add the chickpeas, diced sweet potato, stock and season with black pepper and the pinch of shrimp paste (if using). Next, stir in the tbsp of tomato puree, cover and gently simmer over a medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes (until the potatoes are tender). Check occasionally and stir as needed.
When the timer is up, stir in the king prawns and spinach, and cook for a further 3-5 minutes over the same heat, until the spinach has fully wilted.
Finish with a squeeze of the fresh lemon juice and the parsley.
Serve with crusty bread (if desired) and ENJOY! <3
