Rustic Chorizo Paysan

Last night we had a ball! Before I begin, I must thank our fantastic hosts, Titto and Champs. Yes, I know we had to bring our own chairs, and that drinking wine from a sherry glass is often 'frowned upon' in more elite circles (!), but all of this added to the general merriment and fun of the evening. And we were amongst good friends which is what counts most.

The food was excellent, despite us agreeing that the blog's title could easily have been 'Prison Slops'. The flavours, however, spoke for themselves. Our main course was a rustic and very tasty chorizo stew/casserole. Titto also went to the effort to pop out during his precious lunch hour; he bought not one, but two types of chorizo to add to the depth of flavour. Whilst cooking, the stew developed rich and smoky undertones spiced with tomatoes, peppers, red onion and kidney and cannellini beans: It was scrummy! The boys even had second helpings, which is when we remembered to take the pictures, hence the muddled presentation!

Now, pudding was something of which I had never heard before - a self-saucing cake! Basically, this is a cake that comes out with its own sauce - it really is magic! From what I can remember, its a basic chocolate cake recipe in an oven-proof bowl with a layer of water, sugar and cocoa mix poured over the top. The cake cooks, the top bit makes a sauce and it all mixes up! Champs usually uses a tried and tested recipe from her school days but, as she couldn't get her hands on it, she adapted a 'found' recipe. It turned out perfectly and was delicious, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, mmm. I found a similar recipe online, and it's Australian, much like Champs!

(This is in brackets because I'm whispering! Before I go, I must just set the record straight! It appears that Titto 'developed' his Naan Bread Pizza recipe from one Champs had previously devised using large Pitta bread - so credit where credit's due!)

Thanks guys - we'll host the return leg very soon,

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