Sunday supper: One-pan Chorizo Couscous

One-pan Chorizo Couscous

Serves 2 to 3.

From RecipeTinEats founder Nagi Maehashi's new book "Delicious Tonight: Foolproof Recipes for 150+ Easy Dinners." Maehashi writes, "Couscous is a staple in my pantry because it's a handy no-cook starch that has excellent sauce-soaking capabilities. Though of North African origin, it can be used for dishes from all over the world due to its neutral flavor. Here, I'm giving it a Spanish spin by teaming it with chorizo, a handful of juicy cherry tomatoes, frozen peas, and a hint of smoky paprika flavor. The best part, though, is that the couscous is steamed in the same pan while the chorizo is still in it. Not only does that save on washing up, but the couscous gets excellent flavor infusion from the tasty chorizo pan juices." (Countryman, 2024)

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 8 oz. chorizo (2 pieces), one cut into fourths lengthwise, then into pieces ½-in. thick, the other sliced into ¼-in. thick rounds (see Note)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. couscous
• ½ tsp. smoked or regular paprika
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tbsp. lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 c. (8 oz.) cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ c. roughly chopped parsley leaves, optional

Directions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium–high heat. Cook the chorizo for 3 minutes or until light golden. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the chorizo is golden and the onion is softened. Turn the stove down to medium. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the couscous, paprika and pepper and stir for 1 minute to coat the couscous in the tasty oil.

Add the peas, broth and salt and let it come to a simmer. The couscous will soak up the broth right away (that's OK! trust the process!). Spread the couscous out evenly and scrape down the sides of the pan. Cover the pan with a lid or another skillet (or a sheet pan), then turn the stove off. Leave the pan on the turned-off stove for 5 minutes to steam-cook the couscous.

Scatter the lemon zest and drizzle the lemon juice over the couscous. Add the cherry tomatoes. Gently fluff and mix the couscous with a spatula. Spoon into bowls and serve, sprinkled with parsley (if using) and drizzle with some extra olive oil. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and the freezer for 3 months.

Note: Use cured chorizo — the type that is firm like salami, which can be sliced and eaten without cooking. Raw chorizo is like uncooked sausage. If you accidentally got raw chorizo, no problems! Squeeze the meat out of the casing and fry it up like ground pork, then proceed with the recipe. I like to use a mix of smaller and larger pieces of chorizo so you get nice big meaty bites, as well as smaller pieces that release more tasty oil that flavors the couscous.