Corn And Chorizo Bean Gratin

Ingredients

• 550 g butter beans, with liquid
• 25 g panko breadcrumbs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 100 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 120 g chorizo, diced into 1cm pieces
• 260 g sweetcorn, drained
• 75 g cheddar, coarsely grated
• 30 g jalapeno, roughly chopped
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and again, until the edges are crisp and the pan is slick with deep red oil. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the oil behind.
2. Drop the onion into that chorizo oil with a pinch of salt and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and just starting to catch gold at the edges. Stir in the chilli flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
4. Tip in the sweetcorn and double cream. Let it bubble gently for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cream has thickened and clings to the corn.
5. Take off the heat and blitz briefly with a stick blender — you want a creamy base with plenty of whole kernels still intact. Stir through the butter beans (with their liquid) and half of the crispy chorizo. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Tip the lot into a 2-litre baking dish, level the top, then scatter over the grated cheddar followed by the panko breadcrumbs.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling around the edges and the panko has turned deeply golden and crisp.
8. Scatter over the remaining crispy chorizo, the chopped jalapeños and parsley. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and bread for scooping.