Pickled Chorizo and Borlotti Beans with Porter Vinegar

Now you've made your beer vinegar I'm sure you are all wondering what to do with it. Well before it all gets used up in salad dressings I thought I should explore the pickling possibilities. The porter vinegar has continued to develop and now has a rich,sweet aroma along with the burnt, woody malts

I consulted Ideas in Food again and found a very interesting idea, pickled chorizo. This is the kind of recipe idea I love; it introduces a completely new idea (to me anyway), it's very simple and the final product can be used in a variety of further dishes. It really is as simple as taking a loop of dried chorizo slicing it into 1/8th inch rounds and pickling in some vinegars and soy sauce. The original recipe uses balsamic, sherry and rice vinegar bur I wanted the flavours of the porter vinegar I made to come through so these are the ratios I used.

• Porter vinegar 50%
• Rice vinegar 25%
• Soy sauce 25%

Two days in the fridge and we pull out a bowl of fatty, salty, meat condiment that add a powerful punch of savoury to all sorts of dishes. 

On this occasion I made a simple bean stew by: 

• Frying and simmering some leeks over a low heat until soft.
• Adding the pickled chorizo and again frying briefly to release some of the paprika oils. 
• Tip in half a can of tomatoes and a tin of drained borlotti beans. 
• Season with salt and pepper and add a tablespoon of the pickling juice
• Simmer for 20 minutes or so until the tomatoes have thickened into a sauce and serve. 

You can garnish with parsley and serve with some buttered crusty bread for a delicious lunch.

I have found that a tablespoon of the porter vinegar in any tomato sauce works very nicely as a sharp balance.