IGA Item of the Week

I could have skewered and grilled it with shrimp, chopped it up and put it in potato salad, or pushed the envelope with this recipe for Spanish Chorizo and Chocolate Crostini. But the weather and my pantry pushed me to use this week's IGA Item in a practically no-cook main course salad of chickpeas and sauteed shallots. Here's what I made:


Smoky Chickpea and Chorizo Salad
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main course

Seeing the Spanish chorizo at the IGA reminded me of the smoked paprika I ordered from Penzey’s Spices a few months ago and had stashed in the freezer. Following that train of thought, I put together this dinner salad with Spanish flavors. The shallots are so good, sautéed with a little sugar to bring out their sweetness and finished off with some Sherry vinegar. If you don’t have smoked paprika, sweet paprika is fine. The chorizo on its own will give the dish plenty of smoky flavor.

One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarteres
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 shallots, sliced thin
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
2 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into ¼-inch dice
Pepper

1. Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, and parsley in a large bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the paprika.
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, the shallots, the sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the shallots are softened and begin to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Scrape into the bowl.
3. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook until it releases some of its oil and begins to crisp up, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to the salad bowl, leaving the extra grease behind. Toss the salad, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.