Another really quick lunchtime recipe, this is loosely based around one by the late, great Gary Rhodes, who sadly passed away far too young last year. It was from one of the first cookbooks I was given and I think he used salami and a different method for the tomato, but anyway, I digress.
Serves 1
Pasta 110g (I used fusilli)
Chorizo dried, an inch or two in length
Stale bread a piece (or a handful of croutons)
Pitted black olives a handful
Capers 1dsp, drained and rinsed
Marinara sauce 2-3 tbsp, if you have it, otherwise 1 tin chopped tomatoes a couple of cloves of garlic and a couple of basil leaves (ideally)
Parmesan grated
Lemon a wedge (optional)
Fresh parsley (also optional)
If you already have marinara sauce, great. If not please refer to our simple marinara sauce recipe and get this going first. I was out of basil today so used a teaspoon of green pesto instead but this isn’t essential.
Get a large bowl of salted water boiling and cook your pasta as per our previous instructions.
Put the bread in a small blender and blitz to crumbs. They’ll be of varying sizes but the biggest shouldn’t be more than about 1cm.
Fry the chorizo on a medium heat with some olive oil until the fat starts to render. Throw in the breadcrumbs and fry until golden. Remove from heat, add the capers and roughly chopped black olives.
Drain the pasta and add it to enough warmed marinara sauce to coat. Stir in half the chorizo mixture and place in a serving in a bowl, sprinkling the rest over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley (if you’re using it) and serve with a lemon wedge.