Chorizo with hummus

We have recently had a fantastic time in Southern Spain, enjoying lots of wonderful meals, from a simple delicious Spanish omelette in a road side cafe to the most incredible vegetarian tasting menu in a Michelin starred restaurant in Ronda (Bardal). Definitely worth a visit if you are in Andalusia. However for me one of the most enduring tastes of Spain is chorizo and so I thought I would keep our holiday memories alive for a while longer with this chorizo and hummus canapé. Easy, make ahead and very flavourful. We will be enjoying these tonight with a glass of Rioja. Buen provecho.

Ingredients

100 g chickpeas

1 tbs tahini

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tbsp chickpea water

0.25 tsp smoked salt

Good pinch hot smoked paprika

0.5 tsp ground cumin

Chorizo (mine was from Waitrose, Goikoa Spanish Chorizo Picante Ring which is dry cured)

Flat leaf parsley for garnish

Whole blanched Spanish Almonds - click here for recipe - or for ease simply used plain blanched almonds.

Method

Cut chorizo into slices, my slices were about 0.25cm thick. Cook in a frying pan for 2 or 3 minutes each side. The slices should be turning slightly brown when cooked. Cool.

Put the remaining hummus ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. If it seems too thick, add a little more chickpea water. Or use ready made hummus.

When the chorizo is cool, spoon little dollops of hummus on top and add an almond or two and enjoy.