Smoky Chorizo One-Pan Rice

Add the chorizo and cook over medium-high heat until deeply browned, with dark caramelised edges and plenty of rendered oil in the pan. Set all cooked chorizo aside for the finish, leaving the flavoured fat behind.

Add the onion, peppers, carrot and baby corn. Season with sea salt and black pepper, using much more pepper than salt. Keep the heat at medium-high and leave the vegetables untouched between stirs so they soften while developing browned edges rather than steaming.

Add the garlic briefly, then bloom the smoked paprika and cumin in the hot chorizo fat. Push the vegetables aside and add the tomato purée directly against the pan. Fry until it turns from bright red to brick red and smells sweeter, then mix it through the vegetables.

Add the basmati rice and stir until every grain is glossy and evenly coated in tomato, spices and chorizo oil. Keep it moving until the rice loses its chalky appearance, but do not let the spices catch.

Pour in most of the hot chicken stock and scrape the pan clean of its browned fond. Bring back to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover. Check once during cooking and add only a little reserved stock if the rice is still firm and the pan is dry.

Fold in the frozen sweetcorn near the end. Increase the heat only until the simmer returns, then lower it again. When the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, reintroduce the reserved chorizo so it warms through without losing every crisp edge.

Turn off the heat, cover and rest so the remaining steam finishes the grains and the moisture redistributes. Serve the child’s portion first, then stir the chipotle paste through the adult portion. Loosen with a tiny splash of reserved hot stock only if needed.