Winter Supper for Four

This recipe was given me by my friend Cheryl of Mucky Hen fame. We had it at hers one evening and it was so delicious and so easy to pull together I couldn't resist having a go myself. As with all one-pot recipes it can be varied with whatever you have to hand, but here is what I like best.

One Pan Spanish Chicken
You will need:
1 jar of butter beans (580g) or 2 x 410g tins of cannelli beans
2 medium sweet potoatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
3 red peppers again cut into chunks without their seeds
1 pack of chorizo skinned and sliced
1 bulb of garlic
200ml chicken stock
Juice of a large orange plus a few wedges (optional)
2tsp sweet smoked paprika
8 on the bone chicken thighs
Olive Oil
A handful of sage leaves (or dried sage if you can't get them)

Pre-heat oven to 220degrees C, gas mark 7. Arrange the beans, sweet potatoes, peppers, chorizo, and garlic bulb in a large roasting tin. Mix the stock, orange juice and 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika and pour over the veg. Put the chicken on top of the veg to ensure they crisp up while cooking. Roast for up to 40 mins. Mix some oil with the rest of the paprika and brush the chicken with the oil and dip the sage leaves in the oil and scatter over the dish. I also add a little dried sage to the stock too. Roast for a further 10 mins.

You can serve with a leafy salad and chunks of bread but instead of the leafy salad I made this from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty recipe book...

Green Bean Salad with mustard seed and tarragon
You will need:
250g french beans
250g mange tout trimmed
250g green peas (fresh or frozen)
2tsp coriander seeds roughly crushed
1tsp mustard seeds
3tbsp olive oil
1 tsp nigella seeds
half small red onion
1 mild fresh chilli (I leave this out for a mild version)
1 garlic clove crushed
2tbsp chopped taragon
30g baby chard leaves (optional)
coarse sea salt

Blanch the french beans for 4 mins in boiling water then plunge into cold water to perk them up - dry with kitchen towel. Do the same to the mange tout for 20 seconds. Mix both with the peas. Put the coriander, mustard and oil in a small pan and heat up untl the seeds pop. Pour over the vegetables. Toss together with the other ingredients. Just before serving stir in the chard leaves if using. Yum!

To follow I made what is fast becoming my favourite chocolate pot dessert.

Also try my Lamb Korma - perfect for a winter supper.