Subscribe to our mailing list

Sign up to our mailing list for the best stories delivered to your inbox.

We tell stories of rural and regional women. Latest issue is out now.

article-img article-img
Living

Sophie Hansen’s easy tomato and chorizo stew

Serve with warm crusty bread or creamy, buttery mashed potatoes.

relative_media
relative_media

EASY TOMATO & CHORIZO STEW

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 50 mins

This warming, flavour punch of a tomato stew is a pretty wonderful thing to pour into a big mug and wrap your fingers around on a windswept headland on a cool spring evening. Not all of us have our own headland for such occasions, but you probably have a garden, nature strip, nearby park or beach. Pack this stew in a thermos for your dinner picnic and serve it with some warm sourdough.

We crumbled a little of Fiona and Adam’s fresh goat’s cheese over the stew and it added such a lovely note of creamy, tangy goodness — highly recommended!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 chorizo sausages, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 brown onions, diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 cup (250ml) white wine
800g tin whole peeled tomatoes
250g soft goat’s cheese, to serve
Sourdough bread slices, to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the fennel seeds and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the chorizo and cook for a few more minutes, then add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

2. Pour in the wine and cook for 1 minute or until the liquid bubbles and reduces a little.

3. Add the tomatoes and cook, breaking everything up with a spoon. Reduce the heat, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and gently simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then so the stew doesn’t catch and burn on the base of the pan.

4. Either serve the stew straight away, or transfer it to a thermos to keep hot and head off to your picnic. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the stew and serve it with some lovely warm sourdough or garlic bread.

Variation: You could use this stew as a base for a quick and easy seafood stew. Bring the stew to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and add 800g mixed seafood (e.g. mussels, firm white fish, calamari). Cook for about 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and the mussel shells have opened.

This is an extract from Sophie Hansen’s book In Good Company.

Subscribe to Graziher and never miss an issue of your favourite magazine! Already a subscriber? You can gift a subscription to someone special in your life. 

To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.

Sophie Hansen speaks to Graziher’s Life on the Land podcast about her popular newsletter, Local is Lovely.

Related Articles

Ingrid Weir has created an enchanting garden in the  historic goldmining village of Hill End
Living
Ingrid Weir has created an enchanting garden in the historic goldmining village of Hill End

Ingrid’s approach to garden design is similar to her take on interiors — she likes to create a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ that invite you to pause and enjoy the space.

Words Penny Carroll Photography Ingrid Weir
Farmhouse-style bedroom inspiration for the sweetest dreams
Living
Farmhouse-style bedroom inspiration for the sweetest dreams

Florals, crushed linen and four very different takes on country style, from the pages of Graziher.

PHOTOGRAPHY ABBIE MELLÉ & CLANCY PAINE
It’s spring! Time to get started on this old-fashioned Christmas cake recipe
Living
It’s spring! Time to get started on this old-fashioned Christmas cake recipe

Jane Smith (aka The Shady Baker) shares a traditional family recipe that’s perfect for gifts and gatherings.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH