Graham says: “Have you ever noticed that sometimes food can have the most unusual descriptions? It might be that a chilli is as hot as hell or a strawberry tastes like a summer day. I say this because I think that this dish is bursting with sunshine! It’s slightly spicy from the heat from the chorizo, a little smoky from the bacon, packed with flavour from the onion, garlic and tomatoes, and all with the slightly sweet taste of the butternut squash.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g dry-cured chorizo, cut into bite-sized chunks
125g smoked bacon lardons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil (if needed)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp caster sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch of fresh
flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

To serve:

sour cream
crusty white bread

Method

Put the chorizo and smoked bacon lardons in a cold, dry, deep frying pan and put the pan on a medium-high heat. The slow increase in temperature will help the chorizo to release its red oil. Once the chorizo and bacon start frying, cook for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and bacon and set them aside on a plate, leaving all the fat that has rendered out in the pan.

Add the onion to the pan and cook it in the red oil for about 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Depending on how much oil the chorizo has released, you may need to add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to help the onion cook. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, then add a splash of water to each empty tin, swirling it around to remove any tomato still clinging to the sides and add that to the pan too. Add the squash, oregano, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Add the chorizo and bacon back to the pan. Give everything a good stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the squash has softened. Add a dash of water during the cooking if it starts to look a little dry.

When cooked, add the sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir through most of the parsley. I like to serve this in warm bowls with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining parsley scattered on top and lots of crusty white bread on the side.

Cook: 3 warming stew recipes that are perfect for autumn/winter