Courgette ribbons and rainbow chard with chorizo

As well as being delicious, the rainbow chard really adds to the look of this dish; but swiss chard will work, too, if you can't get hold of the colourful variety. Serve with rice, barley or alongside roast chicken.

2-4 as a side

Serving size

Ingredients

375g rainbow (or swiss) chard, trimmed and cut widthways into 8cm pieces
2 courgettes, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthways – I use a vegetable peeler to do this (320g net weight) 
75ml olive oil
2 lemons – zest finely grated, to get 1 tbsp, then juiced, to get 1½ tbsp
Salt and black pepper
1 medium (70g) cooking chorizo, skinned and meat finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
5g dill leaves, roughly torn into sprigs
5g basil leaves, roughly torn

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8 and position a rack near the top. Cut the thicker, bottom part of the chard stalks in half lengthways (so they’re roughly the same width as the thinner parts), then put in a bowl with the courgettes. Put the chard leaves in a second bowl.

  2. Combine 60ml olive oil with two teaspoons of lemon zest and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Pour half the oil mixture into each bowl and toss to coat the vegetables (take care not to break the courgette ribbons). Tip the courgettes and stalks on to a large oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, spreading them out as much as possible. Roast for eight minutes, until just cooked but still bright and retaining a bite.

  3. Spread the chard leaves over the top of the roast veg and return the tray to the oven for five minutes, until the leaves are slightly crisp. Tip everything out on to a large platter, to stop the vegetables cooking (they will be hot, so just slide them off the parchment paper). When they are cool enough to handle, gently toss so everything is mixed together.

  4. Heat a medium nonstick frying pan on a high flame. Once hot, fry the chorizo for four minutes, stirring, until cooked and crisp, then take off the heat and stir in the garlic and the remaining tablespoon of oil.

  5. Using your hands, gently mix half the herbs into the vegetables and scatter the rest on top. Spoon the garlicky chorizo and its oil over the vegetables, then finish by sprinkling over the remaining lemon zest and juice, and a good grind of pepper.