British Heritage Beef Tomato With Chorizo & Pesto Orzotto

Boil a full kettle

Heat a large dry pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium heat

Once hot, add the flaked almonds and cook for 2-3 min or until toasted and lightly golden, reserve the pan

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Add the spinach to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach under the cold running water until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze the water out of the spinach as much as you can then chop it roughly

Reboil a full kettle

Peel the garlic

Add the wilted spinach and most of the basil (reserve a few leaves for garnish) to a food processor with the toasted almonds, peeled garlic and half the grated Italian hard cheese

Add the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon, 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] olive oil and 2 tbsp [4 tbsp] cold water with a pinch of salt, then blitz until well combined and smooth – this is your spinach & basil pesto

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a little drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the diced chorizo and cook for 5-6 min or until golden and crispy

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the shallot[s]

Dissolve the chicken stock mix in 500ml [850ml] boiled water

Once the chorizo is golden and crispy, add the diced shallot and cook for 2-3 min or until softened

Once softened, add the orzo to the pan and give everything a good mix up until the grains are fully coated

Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil over a high heat, once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 16-17 min, stirring continuously, or until the stock is fully absorbed and the orzo is cooked with a slight bite

Heat the grill to high

Combine the panko breadcrumbs with the remaining grated Italian hard cheese, dried oregano, 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] olive oil and 1/2 tsp [1 tsp] sugar – this is your panko crumb

Cut the heritage beef tomato[es] into 4 [8] slices

Add the heritage beef tomato slices to a baking paper-lined tray and divide the panko crumb equally between them

When the orzo is almost ready, add a drizzle of olive oil to the tomato slices and put them under the grill for 6-8 min or until golden and crispy – this is your panko-crusted heritage beef tomato

Once the orzo is cooked, stir through the spinach & basil pesto and season with a generous crack of black pepper – this is your chorizo & pesto orzo