Spanish lentils with chorizo in Belgian ale

SERVES 4

a pinch of saffron threads

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 red capsicum (pepper), roughly chopped

300 g (10½ oz) chorizo sausages (the cured variety, rather than fresh), cut in half lengthways, then sliced on the diagonal 1 cm (¼ inch) thick

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 dried bay leaves

4 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tomatoes, chopped

two 330 ml (11¼ fl oz) bottles of high-alcohol Belgian ale

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) good-quality chicken stock

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

375 g (13 oz/2 cups) green lentils

125 g (4½ oz) small button mushrooms, quartered

200 g (7 oz) zucchini (courgettes), finely diced

Steep the saffron threads in 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) boiling water for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium–high heat. When the oil is smoking, add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, capsicum and chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the paprika, then add the saffron and its soaking liquid and stir it through. Add the bay leaves, thyme, tomato and sea salt to taste. Stir to combine, then cook for several minutes.

Pour in the beer and stock and bring to the boil. Season with freshly ground black pepper, add the sherry vinegar and stir to allow all the flavours to combine. Add the lentils and mix them through while the liquid comes back to the boil. Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in the mushrooms and zucchini, put the lid back on and simmer for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender but still have a little bite. If you have too much liquid, take the lid off and simmer over a higher heat to reduce it.

Enjoy with a glass of the ale you cooked the lentils with.

Beer Notes

Try Westmalle Tripel (9.5%), Hoegaarden Grand Cru (8.5%), Chimay Blue (9%), or Rochefort 8 (9.2%)