Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with this cuttlefish and chorizo stew

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 cuttlefish bodies, skinned and cleaned (approx. 900g)

• 225g chorizo

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 red onion, quartered and sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 150ml red wine

• 400g tinned cherry tomatoes

• 750g potatoes, peeled

• 1 bay leaf

• A small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

1 Halve the cuttlefish bodies lengthways, then cut them across into 1.5 cm strips. Cut the chorizo into large chunks.

2 Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and sticky. Add the garlic and chorizo to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes.

3 Pour in the wine and let it bubble until reduced by half to evaporate off the alcohol, then tip in the cherry tomatoes and stir well. Fill the can with water and add that to the pot, then stir in the cuttlefish strips. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and add them to the pan with the bay leaf.

4 When it starts to bubble, reduce the heat, part-cover with a lid and simmer as gently as possible for 1 hour.

5 When the time is up, test the potatoes with a skewer to make sure they’re cooked through. Taste a piece of cuttlefish – if it’s tender rather than chewy, it’s ready; if not, continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

6 Season the stew with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and scatter with parsley before serving.

Find it in Hampshire

• Cuttlefish - Kerry’s Catch, Portsmouth, 02392 753621; fishmarketportsmouth.co.uk

• Chorizo - A Pinch of Salt, New Milton, 01425 611278; apinchofsaltcuring.co.uk

• Potatoes and onions - Berry Hill Farm, Bournemouth, 07971 795740; berryhill-farm.co.uk

Susie Carter - Susie’s Kitchen

“Cuttlefish, like their cousin the squid, need to be either cooked in a flash or long and slow for the best texture. Although you often see cuttles washed up along the Hampshire coastline, these underrated local cephalopods rarely make it onto menus, which is a real shame, though on the plus side, it does make them extremely good value for the home cook. A Pinch of Salt’s amazing chorizo infuses the whole stew with smoked paprika and fennel and the potatoes turn it into a hearty one-pot meal - just the job for adding a little Mediterranean warmth to these long, dark November evenings.”