Squid & Chorizo Stew

“This easy one-pot Spanish-style stew gets most of its flavour from the chorizo, so buy the best you can find. Add an extra pinch of chilli if you like things a bit hotter”

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil 80g/3oz cooking chorizo sausage, finely chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Pinch dried chilli flakes ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika 1 rosemary sprig, leaves stripped and finely chopped 50ml/2fl oz red wine 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes 250ml/9fl oz fish stock 300g/10½oz medium squid, cleaned 400g/14oz tin chickpeas, drained (240g/8½oz drained weight) 50g/1¾oz baby spinach Small handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped 1 lemon, zest only Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until the chorizo releases its oils and begins to turn crisp. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 2–3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, paprika and rosemary and cook for 3–4 minutes, adding a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick.

Increase the heat to high, add the wine and let it bubble uhtil the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare your squid. Cut the pouches into 4cm/1½in pieces, scoring the inner surface, or slice into thick rounds. Cut any long tentacles in half. Add the chickpeas to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the squid, stir gently to submerge, and put a lid on the pan. Leave the squid to cook gently for 3–4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and stir through the spinach and half of the parsley.

Ladle into warmed bowls, grate over a little lemon zest and sprinkle with the remaining parsley before serving.

No-bake Strawberry Cheesecake

“This strawberry cheesecake is a Valentine dream. Made with plenty of white chocolate, strawberries and cream”

Ingredients

2 tsp sunflower oil 200g/7oz digestive biscuits 100g/3½oz unsalted butter ½ tsp ground cinnamon 100g/3½oz white chocolate, roughly chopped 400g/14oz strawberries, trimmed, plus extra to decorate 300g/10½oz full-fat cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only 1 tbsp runny honey or maple syrup 200ml/7fl oz double cream

Brush the inside of a 20cm/8in springform tin with the sunflower oil, and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. Put the digestive biscuits into a sealable freezer bag. Push all the air out and seal the bag. Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin, until they are reduced to sand-like crumbs.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the biscuit crumbs and cinnamon. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the tin. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.Chop 150g/5oz of the strawberries in half from top to bottom and arrange around the edge of the prepared tin, cut side-up. Chop the remaining berries into small pieces.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, either over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, or in a microwave. Beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest and honey in a mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped strawberries.

In another bowl, whisk the double cream until it holds a floppy peak. Fold the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture, followed by the double cream. Add more honey if needed. Spoon the filling into the tin, being careful not to move the strawberries on the edge. Spread level with a palette knife or the back of a spoon, cover with cling film and chill overnight, until firm.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and put on a serving plate. Slice or quarter extra strawberries to arrange on top.

Method