Chorizo, pork belly & chickpea casserole

Chorizo, pork belly & chickpea casserole

By Barney Desmazery
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(116 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 30 mins

Easy

Serves 4
A Spanish-influenced stew with slow-cooked belly pork, a cheap cut with great flavour and soft texture

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal680
  • fat45.2g
  • saturates15.7g
  • carbs22.6g
  • sugars9.4g
  • fibre4.4g
  • protein43.5g
  • salt1.3g
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 700g skinless, boneless pork belly, cut into large bite-sized chunks
  • 100g cooking chorizo, sliced into thin rounds
    Chorizo

    Chorizo

    chore-reeth-oh

    A coarsely textured spiced pork sausage widely used in Spanish and Mexican cooking. It is made…

  • 1 large onion, chopped
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • 1 large carrot, finely chopped
    Carrot

    Carrot

    ka-rot

    The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root…

  • 1 tsp fennel seed
    Fennel seeds

    Fennel seeds

    feh-nell seeds

    A dried seed that comes from the fennel herb, fennel seeds look like cumin seeds, only greener,…

  • small pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 bay leaves, fresh are best
  • sprig of thyme

    Thyme

    This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…

  • large pinch golden caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 50ml sherry vinegar or good quality red wine vinegar
  • 400g tin chopped tomato
  • 400g tin chickpea, drained and rinsed
  • fresh chopped parsley
    Parsley

    Parsley

    par-slee

    One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

Method

  1. 1 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in a casserole dish with a lid and spend a good 10 mins browning the pork on all sides. If your casserole dish isn’t wide enough to fit the pork in a single layer then brown it in batches. Scoop the pork out and set aside then add the chorizo and sizzle for a minute. Add the vegetables, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, garlic and herbs and cook for about 5 mins until the vegetables are soft and just starting to colour. Sprinkle over the sugar and stir in the tomato purée then splash in the vinegar and bubble for a moment. Tip in the tomatoes and a can of water. Stir the pork and juices into the sauce, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

  2. Cover the dish with a lid and place in the oven for 1 hr 45 mins, checking occasionally and if the sauce becomes too thick add a splash more water. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the chickpeas and return to the oven for 15 mins. Remove again and leave to cool slightly so it’s not scorching hot then stir through the parsley. Taste for seasoning and serve with crusty bread or boiled potatoes.

  • Recipe Tip

    Tip

    If pork belly is hard to find or you don’t fancy skinning your own then skinless pork shoulder will work just as well.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Lisa246
31st Dec, 2019
How long and what setting would you use to cook this in a slow cooker instead?
shelagh.mcgrath...
4th Jan, 2020
I cook it for about 8 hours on low. Usually set it over night for 5 hours, let it cool, remove the surface fat, then cook for 3 hours for evening meal. I use 2 tins of tomatoes ( plum, cherry or chopped but generally a mix of 2) rather than water or stock and get a really nice thick sauce.
Stevan Bailey
20th Dec, 2019
5.05
Easy to make and very tasty, the family loved it
jeff_paris's picture
jeff_paris
27th Sep, 2018
5.05
Made it last night. Really tasty recipe. I added some stock too.
paulc24's picture
paulc24
29th Aug, 2018
I thought I had a pork fillet to make this with and then realised it was a lamb fillet instead! I made it with this recipe anyway and wow! It's so good! I also added vegetable stock instead of water.
You Ripper...
7th Aug, 2018
5.05
Have made this a couple of times now and having read the previous comments I've also substituted the water for chicken stock, added bacon lardons and slightly reduced the red wine vinegar. I was worried that the kids would pick out the chickpeas but they love it! Served with warm, crusty bread - fabulous!
Leeward's picture
Leeward
4th Jun, 2018
5.05
I made this today with a few changes. First of all, as many of you have said, use a good quality chicken stock instead of the water - this will add the depth that some have missed. Also fried a handful of bacon lardons when I added the chorizo. I also added a teaspoon of Harissa paste with the tomato puree which added a lovely yet subtle heat and extra spice and gave it a slightly North African edge. All of this greatly added to the final flavour. I didn't have a great deal of pork belly so I browned and added a few chicken thighs. Lovely dish overall - this recipe is a fantastic launch-pad if you fancy improvising a little.
roebuckclaire
13th May, 2018
3.05
I had high hopes for this dish but it feel short. Don’t get me wrong, the meat was nice and the combination worked but it lacked depth somehow. Followed the recipe and method to the letter! Not sure I’d go to the effort of making it again.
Leeward's picture
Leeward
4th Jun, 2018
5.05
Read my comment above and try again!
Worrallm
30th Mar, 2018
5.05
Super easy and yummy. Will definately be making again!

Pages

Lisa246
31st Dec, 2019
How long and what setting would you cook this in a slow cooker?
lulu_grimes
6th Jan, 2020
Hello, We haven't tested this recipe in a slow cooker so I can't be exactly sure but because of the cut of meat you'd need at least 8 hours on low. Pork belly is quite fatty and it won't brown any further in a slow cooker so you could try it with pork shoulder as is suggested in the tip. I hope this helps.
SEA23
20th Nov, 2019
Hi, the recipe says this is for 4 people, would it be enough for 5? I'm wondering whether to make a bit extra, as I would also like to freeze a portion down. Many Thanks
Craig Jackson's picture
Craig Jackson
5th Oct, 2019
5.05
I made this dish tonight and I cannot wait to make it again! I cooked the onions for 15 minutes to bring out the flavour. After I added the chickpeas I took the lid off for the last half hour and added some cornflour to thicken the sauce.
gingersof
24th Apr, 2017
5.05
Used chunks of chorizo cut up small from a ring rather than the thin slices suggested. No bay leaf and put fresh coriander on top when serving. Served with steamed beans, herby new potatoes and crusty bread. All our guests loved it.
BillyDragon1000
12th Feb, 2017
5.05
Delicious, simple and filling. I used a pork stock cube instead of just "a can of water" and put potatoes and button mushrooms in from the start and it came out perfect.
trolleytom
22nd Mar, 2015
5.05
Red lentils work brilliantly as a non bean replacement for the chickpeas.
pmw
4th Feb, 2015
This sounds delicious - has anyone tried making it in a slow cooker? I've just bought one and am looking for interesting recipes, but not quite sure how much of this I would have to prepare in advance...
nicgmay13
26th Jun, 2014
5.05
Love this dish! I had maple flavoured pork belly strips and wasn't quite sure what to do with them, so found this recipe and the outcome was delicious!
casafood74
6th Oct, 2013
Solced my own problem for this one! We had the leftovers with herby cous cous last night and it was a fabulous combination. Cous cous was just made with veg stock, garlic oil, a mix of herbs we had in our fridge (parsley, thyme and coriander) lot of lemon juice squeezed over at the end.
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