Chorizo Cookies

Unexpectedly, we had a friend joining us for supper and as canapés are very expected here, I had to get a move on. I found a piece of chorizo lurking in the fridge and remembered an old recipe from way back. The original recipe uses Manchego cheese, but this was thrown together pretty last minute and so the cheddar and parmesan had to be subs. They were pretty good subs though, so good in fact, that I have kept them in. As always, these cookies are easy to make and the uncooked dough can be stored in the freezer so this is a great recipe when you need to get ahead, have no time or you have a piece of chorizo taking up fridge space.

Ingredients - makes about 30 biscuits

125g plain flour

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/4 tsp hot smoked paprika

40g blanched almonds

100g butter, cubed

80g chorizo, finely chopped

50g strong cheddar, grated

50g parmesan, grated

Pinch of salt

Method

Put the flour, smoked paprika, salt and crushed fennel seeds in the bowl of a food processor, add the diced butter. Whizz together until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Add the chorizo and cheese and pulse a few times to combine. Finally add the blanched almonds and pulse very briefly.

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of cling film and make a log shape about 4cm in diameter. Chill the dough in the freezer for at least an hour (or store the uncooked dough in the freezer until you need the biscuits).

To cook: Heat oven to 180°c. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Cut the semi frozen or frozen (if it has been stored longer) log into slices approximately 1/2 cm thick. A bread knife is good for doing this.

Place the slices on the parchment, leaving spaces between. Cook for about 20 minutes until golden.

Cool on a cake rack and store in an airtight tin for up to 3 days (using a silica gel sachet will help keep the biscuits crispy - see tips page)