Baked Beans with Chorizo & Feta

If you're looking for a brunch which will fill the stomachs of men, impress your friends with myriad flavours, look stunning and make you fart for the rest of the weekend then you've found your dish.

A slightly re-worked version of Spicy Beans from the wonderful Ginger & White cookbook, this is probably one of my favourite recipes on Notes of Bacon so far. The beans are mixed with caramelized onions and red peppers, with a sprinkling of chilli flakes and topped with, well you can see for yourself - crispy chorizo and crumbled feta. What's not to like?

Team this with some poached eggs and sourdough (I went for seeded white) and this will fill you up for the rest of the day. Brunch of champions.

Baked beans with caramelized onions and red pepper topped with crispy chorizo and feta 

Quantities: 3-4 people depending on how many men you are feeding

Timings: 45 minutes

Kitchen Stuff: Heavy based saucepan, (ridged) frying pan 

Ingredients:
2  red onions, thickly sliced
2 cans Heinz baked beans
1 red pepper, thinly sliced into strips
1 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
200g good quality chorizo 
60g feta
Handful of flat leaf parsley
Buttered sourdough toast
1 poached egg per person
50g butter
vinegar (for poaching the eggs)

Method:

ONIONS & PEPPERS: Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring often, until very soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Mix in the sugar and add the chopped red pepper. Pop the lid on, lower the heat and cook until the peppers are soft and the onions are caramelized, a further 20 minutes or so. Stirring regularly.

BEANS: Add the baked beans and chilli flakes to the onions and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid back on and continue to cook, stirring every now and then, for another 15 minutes or so.

CHORIZO: Heat your frying pan. Slice the chorizo into chunky diaganol slices. When the pan is hot, add your chorizo slices and fry until crispy on each side and lots of fat has drained from them. Remove from the pan and place on kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.

TOGETHER NOW: Put your oniony, peppery beans in a lovely bowl and top with fried chorizo, crumbled pepper and a few leaves of flat leaf parsley. 

EGGS?: If you're having a poached egg on the side (highly recommended), poach at the last minute before serving. 

Fill a wide, high sided frying pan with a few inches of boiling water, add a small splosh of vinegar. Heat until gently simmering but the water is still (I've tried the whirlpool method and it's never very successful for me). Crack your egg into a ramekin dish or a small cup. Gently pour the egg into the water and simmer until the white is set and yolk is still runny. Remove with a slotted spoon, dab the bottom with kitchen towel to get rid of any excess water and place the egg on your toast. 

SERVE. ENJOY.