This recipe was inspired by two dishes, one that I saw last weekend using real chorizo and the well loved Swedish dish, pyttipanna or pyttipannu if you’re Finnish.

If you’ve ever enjoyed the latter in a Scandinavian country and I’m pleased to say I have, it often comes topped with a fried egg and maybe with some pickled vegetables on the side. In this dish, there is a topping of avocado and sweet fresh tomato flesh, both of which contrast beautifully with the comforting softness and nourishing flavours of the bowl beneath.

I don’t profess to know a lot about South American ingredients. I’m by no means qualified to suggest this dish originates from there, rather it is inspired by the combination of what are now commonly known as Tex-Mex flavours.

For a more store cupboard friendly dish, you could use tinned sweetcorn, if you do then drain it and spread it out on a tray then roast it in the oven for 5-10 minutes until it’s slightly browned. Watch it doesn’t burn. The roast corn texture, scent and flavour are very important elements of this recipe. Slice your corn off the cobs in a bowl at least as deep as half the vertical cob, as kernels ping off all over the place if you do this over a chopping board or plate. Don’t lose them! See the photo below in the method, you’ll want to hang on to every juicy kernel.

Black beans are packed with protein and tinned ones are perfect for this recipe. I don’t peel my sweet potatoes as it helps them hold up as little pieces in the dish, and provides extra fibre.

I used Sainsbury’s chorizo style shroom dogs in this recipe but any vegan chorizo style sausage will do. If you can’t get any, use normal vegan sausage and add another heaped teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika. All is not lost.

The lime juice is not essential, indeed neither is the avocado, tomato and coriander however they do lift every other favour up and make the dish more satisfying all round. There is some evidence to suggest that adding fresh lemon or lime juice (or vinegar) to food lowers the Glycaemic Index and load, essentially slowing the rush of sugar into the blood stream and steadying your glucose level, so a generous squeeze of lime might have benefits beyond aroma and taste.

And the avocado rose in the photograph above is purely for the ‘gram, the second portion was eaten off camera the following day, topped with spoon-scoops of avocado flesh as no one was looking…

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 portions)

One medium red onion

1-2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Heaped teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

One large (500g) or two medium sweet potatoes

250g vegan chorizo

2 corn cobs or medium tin of sweet corn

2 avocados, half per person

2 tomatoes, halved and deseeded (I eat the seeds, good for you and nothing wasted!)

Chopped fresh coriander

One quartered lime

METHOD

Roast the fresh corn cobs in a pre-heated oven at 200C for ten minutes until browned slightly. Remove and leave them to cool. It’s difficult and dangerous to slice the kernels off when they are hot from the oven.

I prefer to chop everything first then you have no delays during cooking. Dice the sweet potato, finely chop the onion and garlic, cut the chorizo into chunky slices and drain the black beans.

Add the oil to a large saucepan or large deep frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic with the sweet smoked paprika over a medium heat until softened but not brown, dip the heat down if you see any browning starting to happen.

Add the sweet potatoes when the onions are softened and stir well, cook for five to ten minutes, until they are soft but take care not to over stir, you don’t want mash. Simultaneously cook your chorizo in a separate pan, the one I use doesn’t tend to need added fat or oil, and crisps up nicely on the edges after five minutes.

While they are cooking, slice the kernels off the sweet corn using the method described above.

Add the corn kernels, chorizo and black beans to the sweet potatoes, turn the heat down and stir well to combine, let everything heat through until hot, for a few minutes.

Serve in bowls topped with a sliced or scooped avocado, a sprinkle of fresh coriander, the chopped tomato flesh and a quartered lime wedge for squeezing.

#plantbased #plantbaseddiet #veganfood #avocado #sweetpotato #comfortfood #bowlfood #food