ONE of my favourite things to eat, and something I always have in my fridge, is chorizo sausage.

This Spanish pork delicacy which gets its distinctive smokiness and deep red colour from pimenton, a smoked paprika, is one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen.

It gives plain scrambled or baked eggs a kick in the right direction, it works wonderfully with both fish and meat and adds just the right depth and oomph to dried beans and peas like chickpeas, haricots or lentils.

Add it into a risotto or a casserole for a change or see how it transforms a basic bread stuffing for a roast chicken into a real treat. Chorizo is part of many Spanish tapas dishes, whether in an omelette or on little toasts with shavings of Manchego cheese.

When I was on Saturday Kitchen with James Martin yesterday he made a fantastic and easy fish dish with chorizo. He simply tossed together in a hot pan (for about five minutes) a drizzle of olive oil, some pitted black olives, chopped red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, a couple of chopped cloves of garlic and thick slices of chorizo.

Then he put them in a shallow oven-proof dish and put a whole sea bass - which had its skin scored and had been sprinkled with salt and thyme leaves - on top.

This then went into a hot oven for about 20 minutes until the fish was cooked, and then served straight to the table. Divine!

Chorizo is available in most delis and supermarkets now, and at farmers' markets. Check out Fingal Ferguson's (from Gubbeen) amazing chorizo.

O About chorizo There are two types of chorizo: there is the airdried chorizo which can be sliced and eaten just as it is; or there is the fresh chorizo, which feels slightly softer and which must be cooked before eating.

Scrambled eggs with chorizo Serves 2 I had these in Mexico for the first time, and they are absolutely delicious - great for breakfast or a lazy weekend brunch. If I serve these for supper I sometimes add a pinch of thyme leaves at the end of cooking.

A tiny knob of butter 25g chorizo, diced Four eggs One tbsp milk Salt and pepper Cook the chorizo in the butter in your scrambled egg pan for about a minute, until the oils are released from the chorizo. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool - do not remove the chorizo.

While the pan is cooling whisk the eggs in a bowl, add the milk and a little salt and pepper. When the pan is almost cool, add the egg mixture and put on a low heat.

Cook, stirring all the time (I find a wooden spatula good for this) until the eggs are softly scrambled. Serve on its own, or on top of buttered toast.

Chickpea and chorizo soup Serves 4-6 Chickpeas and chorizo are perfect together, and work really well in this simple Spanish soup.

One tbsp olive oil 125g chorizo, diced One onion, finely chopped Two celery stalks, finely chopped Two cloves of crushed or grated garlic 1 x 410g tin of chickpeas Two tins of chopped tomatoes (or eight fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped) One litre chicken stock Salt and pepper 450g spinach, destalked and finely chopped (or baby spinach leaves left whole) Put the olive oil in a large saucepan on the heat and add the diced chorizo.

Cook for a minute or two until the chorizo releases its oils, then add the chopped onion, celery and garlic.

Cook on a gentle heat with the lid on until the onion is completely cooked - about 10 minutes - then remove the lid and turn up the heat and cook for a minute to slightly brown the onion.

Add the chickpeas (and all the liquid), tomatoes (and all the liquid) and the stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring up to the boil.

Simmer for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the chickpeas have absorbed all the flavours. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. With the mixture still boiling, add the spinach and cook for one minute more, until the spinach is soft.

Serve in big warm bowls.

Red wine risotto with chorizo and peas Serves 6 This is a wonderful hearty risotto and very quick and simple to make. The alcohol in the wine burns off during cooking but adds fantastic flavour.

One tbsp olive oil 200g chorizo, sliced or diced One onion, finely chopped 350g risotto rice 150ml red wine 750ml chicken stock Salt and pepper 225g peas (can be frozen) 110g finely grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas 4. Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof saucepan, add the chorizo and cook for one or two minutes, until the oils have been released from the chorizo.

Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and sweat over a gentle heat until soft - about 10 minutes.

Add the risotto rice and stir it around in the saucepan for a minute, then add the wine. Stir and bring it up to the boil and allow to simmer for two or three minutes until the wine has almost reduced.

Add the stock, bring up to the boil again, cover with a lid and put in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.

Check it halfway through cooking - if it looks too dry add another bit of hot stock. When the rice is just cooked, remove it from the oven and add the peas and cook on the hob for two more minutes until the peas are cooked.

Sprinkle with most of the grated cheese, season to taste and serve in warm bowls or plates with the remaining grated cheese on top.

Baked eggs with tomatoes, chorizo and cheese Serves 4 A little twist on a classic baked egg dish. These are so good for brunch or a lovely light supper, with toast.

Two tbsp olive oil Four large ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped Two tbsp chopped parsley Crushed chilli peppers (dried pepper flakes) Eight large eggs Eight slices of chorizo 50g Manchego or Parmesan cheese, grated Salt Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas 4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and slowly cook the tomatoes for 15 minutes, until thick. Stir in the parsley and season with crushed chillis and salt.

Divide the tomato sauce between four shallow heatproof dishes and break two eggs into each dish. Put a slice of chorizo on each egg and top with grated cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.

Chorizo and tomato salad Serves 4 as a starter This combination of hot, spicy chorizo and cold tomatoes works brilliantly as a warm salad.

500g small ripe plum tomatoes Two spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 50ml extra virgin olive oil One tbsp sherry vinegar 250g picante or other cooking chorizo sausage One tbsp light olive oil One-two tbsp torn flat leaf parsley Halve the plum tomatoes and put into a bowl. Add the spring onions and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar and toss to mix. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Cut the chorizo on the diagonal into chunky 1.5cm slices. Heat the light olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and gently fry the chorizo slices for two minutes on each side.

Add two or three teaspoons of the oil from the pan to the tomatoes and toss to mix.

Transfer the tomatoes and spring onions to serving plates and pile the hot chorizo slices on top.

Spoon the juices from the tomato bowl over the salad, add a grinding of pepper and scatter over some torn parsley leaves to serve.

BOOK OF THE WEEK Many people think that Spanish food does not go much further than the paella and chips that one gets at the most touristy resorts but a read of The Spanish Kitchen by Clarissa Hyman, published by Conran Octopus will put all that to rest. This is a gorgeous book full of classic regional and exciting new recipes like Catalan Squid, Clam and Potato Stew, Rioja pear Cake, and Baked Eggs with Tomatoes and Cheese