I went to a great foodie event organised by Crumbs
Magazine this week, and at one stand (run by lovely sandwich shop & deli
Made by Ben) there was an amazing smell. It turned out to be hot-smoked garlic,
but it had it a rich, delicious aroma like the most wonderful charcuterie. I
knew straight away that I wanted to combine it with chorizo and pasta to make a
comfort-food dish packed with big flavours.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion
1 red pepper
2 large handfuls of mushrooms
100g chorizo
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
½ tsp curry powder
Salt
Oregano
2 large cloves of smoked garlic
200g pasta
Cheddar cheese
Serves 4-6,
depending on how hungry you are
Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large saucepan.
Peel and finely dice the onion and the pepper, and add to the saucepan with a
good sprinkle of dried oregano. While they sizzle, chop up the mushrooms and
the chorizo, and then add them to the pan once the onions have softened up.
Give it all a really good stir – you should start to see the flavoursome oil
from the chorizo coating everything else – and fry until the mushrooms are soft
and slippery.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes, and then refill the tin
about half way and pour that in too. Stir the curry powder into the sauce –
just a little bit will really boost the rich flavour of the tomatoes – and add
a good sprinkle of salt. Peel the garlic and chop as finely as you can (or you
can crush it – I just like to chop it because then nothing’s wasted), and add
that to the sauce. Turn the heat down and let the sauce bubble for about ten
minutes.
Boil the kettle and cook the pasta according to the
instructions on the packet, then drain it and mix through the sauce. Transfer
to an ovenproof dish if necessary, then top with plenty of grated cheese and
put under the grill for a couple of minutes, until the cheese is golden-brown
and bubbling. Serve straight away.
