José Pizarro’s recipe for broad beans with chorizo and crisp fried manchego

Broad beans, or habas, are one of the highlights of the vegetable calendar. The season is short, though, so make the most of them, especially when they’re young, small and tender. I’m lucky enough to be able to pick habas in both the Spanish and British seasons, and they are always a great combination with chorizo. That pairing is particularly delicious with manchego, which is magnificent in any form, especially when it’s fried in a golden crumb.

Broad beans with chorizo and crisp fried manchego

If you have the time, skin the beans after blanching them, to reveal the tender, vivid-green bean inside. It’s well worth the extra effort.

Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4 as a starter

400g new-season’s broad beans (podded weight, from about 1¼kg unpodded beans)
Olive oil
200g cooking chorizo
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and a good squeeze of juice
Salt and black pepper
250g manchego, cut into 6mm-thick triangles
1 tbsp plain flour
1 egg, beaten
120g panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to finish
1 tbsp honey, to finish

Bring a pan of water to a boil, blanch the podded beans for two to three minutes, until they start to float to the surface, then drain and refresh under cold running water.

Meanwhile, put a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Peel off and discard the skin from the chorizo and break the sausage into pieces. Fry the chorizo for five or six minutes, breaking it up further with a spoon, until golden and crisp all over. Turn down the heat to low, add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the lemon zest and the blanched (and ideally peeled) beans, then season to taste.

Fill a frying pan with about 1cm of olive oil. Dust the cheese triangles in flour, then in beaten egg and then in panko, making sure they are well coated all over. Once the oil is good and hot, fry the breaded cheese briefly on each side, turning as needed, until golden brown all over – this should take only 10 or so seconds a side. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel, then pat dry.

Squeeze lemon juice to taste into the beans, drizzle over the extra-virgin olive oil, then divide between four plates. Top with the crisp cheese, drizzle with honey and serve at once.

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