Upon moving to a Northamptonshire village at the beginning of the year, Neil and I had three requirements:
1. The village must have a pub. (Who doesn’t love a nice glass of wine in the beautiful English countryside?!)
2. There must be a takeaway in walking distance or a restaurant in some shape or form (Food bloggers have nights when we cannot be bothered to cook too!)
3. There absolutely must be a shop in walking distance (for the odd pint of milk or the frequent occasions when I am half way through cooking and realise I do not have all the ingredients I require!!).
Luckily, the house we fell in love with is in a village that meets all three of those requirements! We are fortunate to have, not just any shop, but a decent Co-Op less than five minutes walk from our front door which stocks a really good range of fresh fruit and vegetables, store cupboard staples, chilled and frozen goods, tempting bakery delicacies and, most importantly, a well thought out and generous alcohol section (have I mentioned I like wine?!).
As regular readers of my blog will know I am a big fan of quick and easy meals that are packed full of flavour so when the Co-Op contacted me asking for my favourite ‘dinner in a hurry’, I couldn’t resist sharing my recipe for chorizo, pea and cheddar frittata. All ingredients are available from your local Co-op store.
Chorizo, Pea and Cheddar Frittata
(Serves 6)
250g Jersey Royal new potatoes
225g paprika and garlic Spanish chorizo ring
6 British trimmed salad onions
100g British garden peas
6 large free range eggs
50g Somerset vintage cheddar
Handful of fresh basil
Salt and pepper
1. Boil the new potatoes in slightly salted water for approximately 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and set aside, allowing them to cool.
2. Slice the spring onions, peel and dice the chorizo.
3. Heat a large frying pan. Once hot, add the chorizo and spring onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes over a medium heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over the peas. Cover and leave for 1 minute before draining.
5. Grate the cheddar and slice the, now cooled, potatoes. In a jug, beat the eggs along with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
6. Layer the potatoes over the chorizo and onion mixture in the hot frying pan, then scatter over half of the peas. Pour over the beaten eggs, top with the remaining peas, cheese and some freshly torn basil.
7. Cook the frittata on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to a hot grill until cooked through and the eggs have fully set, about 5 minutes.
This recipe makes a super speedy, but delicious, summer meal and works particularly well served with fresh rocket and tomatoes, which compliment the strong chorizo flavour. The flavours of this dish evoke memories of hot summers spent abroad in the sunshine, whilst enjoying fresh, flavoursome meals from local restaurants due to the oily, smokey, goodness of the chorizo and the Italian influenced recipe however, there is certainly a British influence to due to the presence of the sweet peas, crunchy salad onions and mature Somerset cheddar. This recipe is the perfect fusion of my favourite ingredients from both home and away.
What I love about this dish is I can whip it up in no time at all, including purchasing the ingredients from my local Co-op, and it will last in the fridge for days! Perfect for mid-week meals, during hazy summer weeks, when you would rather spend your time lazing in the garden, dreaming of past holidays and catching up with friends than slaving away over a hot stove.
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