Smoky tomato soup with preserved lemon & green olive salsa
Be inspired by the food of Spain and Morocco with this vibrant tomato soup garnished with a punchy salsa that's also great on roast veg, lamb, fish or chicken
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat half the oil in a big shallow casserole dish in which the thighs can lie in a single layer – one 30cm across is ideal, if you use a bigger dish the sauce may evaporate. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides – you don’t want to cook the chicken through, just get some colour on it – then remove from the pan. Do the same with the sausages in the remaining oil, colouring them all over. Cut the sausages on the diagonal into three or four pieces. Drain the peppers of their brine and cut into broad strips.
Add the onions and tomatoes to the dish or roasting tin with the chilli, garlic, seasoning, sherry vinegar, rosemary and sausages. Heat the stock and add that too. Mix everything together. Arrange so that the chicken is on top. Bake in the oven for 30 mins, stirring the ‘sauce’ that forms around the vegetables halfway through.
When 30 mins is up, add the peppers and cook for another 10 mins. The chicken should be cooked through with a thick sauce around it. Serve with rice pilaf, little potatoes that you’ve roasted in olive oil or mashed potato (mash or rice with a little saffron in it would be lovely).