If nothing else a typical English Summer always includes, long hot barmy days, followed by very warm & wet ones and yesterday was just that. The day started off with a low mist hanging over the lake outside our house, this soon lifted and a glorious day was revealed, by the end of the day, there were heavy downpours, so I was really pleased that I had planned to cook this stew for dinner and not let Hubby continue with his obsession of cooking everything we eat on his new BBQ !!!

Normally a stew would be far to heavy for this time of the year, also most stews take hours to cook and having the oven on for that long, is just to much for a Summer dinner. This stew takes about 20 minutes in one pan on the stove top, so quick and easy, I suppose I could of let Hubby cook it on his BBQ, but hey, the poor thing needs a break !
 
The stew is light, strong on flavour and with the fresh herbs scattered over the top has a lovely fresh Summer taste, we loved it and served with buttery crusty rolls to dip into all the lovely stew juices was just perfect.
 
Buon appetito
 
Serves 2
 
1 tablespoon olive oil
100g cooking chorizo, chopped
1 red onion, sliced into thin wedges
390g carton chopped tomatoes with chilli
200ml fresh chicken stock, hot
250g pack of Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Wholesome Grains (from Sainsburys/Waitrose)
100g ready-roasted peppers, sliced
Small bunch of fresh mint, coriander & chives, chopped
Garlic bread or crusty bread/rolls to serve
 
Heat the oil in a saute pan (I used my large frying pan) over a medium-high heat, add the chorizo and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to crisp and release its juices. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
 
Add the onion to the pan, lower the heat and soften for 5 minutes.
 
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock. Season well, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
 
Add the chorizo, the grains and peppers, to the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for a couple more minutes, or until warmed through.
 
Spoon into bowls, scatter generously with the chopped herbs and serve with the warm garlic bread .
 
I doubled this recipe, but left it here as it is, so that its easier for My Brood to cook for their loved ones.
 
Recipe from Delicious Magazine August 2011