London lunch box: Saffron fregola with chorizo, orange and courgette

I first started making packed lunches seven years ago in Dublin. Working in an industrial estate with only one shop, the main option was a fried chicken roll. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any beef with deep-fried chicken, but after a while I discovered it is possible to overdose on such delights. Variety is, indeed, the spice of the lunch box. I began creating salads and sandwiches, more often than not, from leftovers, to bring into the office.

Nowadays my office is the kitchen and I still take simple pleasure in making my own lunch. The trick I’ve found is to incorporate it into the rest of your cooking, rather than buying a whole load of other ingredients or spending too much extra time on it. I’ll usually start with a basic staple – a grain or a pasta for example – and make enough of it for a couple of days. Then add different garnishes and dressings for varied dishes.

This week I’m using fregola as a base, a Sardinian pasta resembling giant couscous. These tiny pasta beads are perfect vessels for soaking up strong flavours. Look out for brands that have been lightly toasted, giving them a slightly nutty note. Our lunch box recipe is saffron fregola with chorizo and courgette. Dressed with orange juice, zest, the cooking juices from the chorizo and fresh oregano. When you open up your packed lunch and see the little yellow pearls with pieces of chunky chorizo peaking out, it can be hard not to smile. Try it also as a side with grilled prawns (or mussels or clams) or cold roast chicken, for leftovers summer dinners. Come autumn I’ll be stirring it through soups and stews to bulk them out.

For alternative lunches, team fregola with one of the following: charred broccoli, shaved pecorino, hazelnuts and honey, or raw fennel, merguez sausage, roast tomatoes and harissa, or mozzarella, caramelised peaches and mint.

Ingredients (serves 2)

150g fregola

Pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm water for 10 minutes

2 tsp olive oil

1 courgette

Juice and zest of 1 unwaxed orange

8 slices of chorizo

2 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves picked

Sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper

Method

Add the fregola and saffron to a pan of boiling salted water. Simmer for 10 – 12 minutes. Drain thoroughly then transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and stir well.

Using a speed peeler, peel the courgette into large ribbons. Finely chop the core into small pieces. In a bowl, sprinkle half the orange juice over the ribbons and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a wide-based pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the chorizo and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until just crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Cook the chopped courgette in the same pan on a medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes, until just tender. Tip all the juices from the pan over the fregola.

Drain the courgette ribbons. Stir the zest and the rest of the orange juice into the fregola, with the courgette and chorizo. Taste and adjust the seasoning – a little extra black pepper is lovely. Finish by sprinkling with the oregano leaves.

Laoise (Lee-sha) is a chef, food stylist and writer, living in London. Follow her on Twitter @laoisecooks and Instagram @laoisecooks. She studied at Leiths School of Food and Wine, where she now teaches. She has worked in a number of top London restaurants including The Dairy in Clapham and Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green.