Fresh Tomatoes For Chickpea And Chorizo Stew

Our answer

Nigella's Chorizo And Chickpea Stew (from KITCHEN) is a fast and flavoursome supper that is served with a bulgur pilaf. The stew uses canned cherry tomatoes as these have a good flavour and also stay whole during cooking, adding texture to the stew.

If you can't find canned cherry tomatoes then you could use fresh ones as an alternative. The tomatoes will need longer cooking, until they are soft and the skins have split slightly. We suggest using 800g whole cherry tomatoes (1¾ pounds or approximately 5½ cups) and adding 400ml (1⅔ cups) water and a tablespoon of tomato puree (tomato paste). You will need to let the stew simmer for longer - we would suspect that 10 minutes should be enough to soften the tomatoes completely but allow a little longer, if necessary. There should be enough liquid released from the tomatoes as they cook, but add a splash or two extra if the stew looks too dry.