Chorizo Silverbeet Pasta

My biggest problem at the moment (kitchen-wise), is the lack of affordable, edible looking green things at the market. I object to paying $6.99 a kilo for broccoli, or $9.99 for green beans. I thought it was bean season?

Anyway, one thing that is plentiful, fresh and very green is silverbeet. I've been buying it in bunches, even though I'm running out inspiration for using it.

The two last chorizo sausages provided inspiration. This was rather good, and gave us a good serve of veggies to boot!

Chorizo and Silverbeet Pasta

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 chorizo sausages, sliced

1/2 Cup vegetable stock

5 big silverbeet leaves, washed and chopped

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

1 Cup of white wine

the pasta of your choice

Heat the olive oil in over a low heat. Add the onion and the chorizo sausage, frying over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the vegetable stock to the onion and chorizo and simmer until slightly reduced. Throw in the wine, silverbeet and capsicum and cover. Let it steam until the silverbeet is wilted and soft(this should only take a couple of minutes). Stir in the pasta and serve.

Chorizo and White Bean Stew

I love chorizo sausage. I love the flavour they give to just about anything. I love them fried up by themselves. I love how just one sausage will neatly spread a warm spiciness through a whole dish. This is a new recipe for us, but it was so good that we forgot to take pictures. Sorry. It's based on a recipe in an old copy of BBC's Good Food magazine. You will need some crusty bread to capture every last bit of the sauce.
Chorizo and White Bean Stew
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 rashers of bacon, sliced (rind removed)
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 uncooked chorizo sausages
2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Heat the oil in a heavy based pot, over a medium heat. Add the bacon and the bay leaf, and when the fat becones to run, add the onion. Keep the heat low so the onion browns but doesn't burn. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook until aromatic. Stir in paprika and tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are soft.
While it's simmering, slice the chorizo into 1cm slices. Add the chorizo and beans to the pot, with enough water to cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Done!