Mr NQN turned to me the other day and said “I’ve joined a water drinking club at work.”
I looked at him. He is such a joker that he usually delivers lines like that with a slight smile just itching to burst through at the corner of his mouth. Although he is such a terrible liar his eyes betray him by rolling around and looking at the ceiling.
He wasn’t joking. In fact, my time away from working at an office has revealed a new phenomenon. Water drinking clubs. His colleague suggested it as people at his work don’t tend to drink enough water. A couple of times a day, a selected group of people will receive a messenger notice and they meet at the water cooler. Kind of like a water cooler flash mob. They talk and drink water.
I know, isn’t it cute? And slightly oddball at the same time but I do appreciate oddball. A part of me does miss being around people as working from home is a solitary existence. But I balance that with the fact that I don’t see anyone that I don’t want to really. There no annoying boss that undermines your role or the colleague with questionable personal hygiene or halitosis. Everyone that I see during the day is someone that I invite in or see willingly.
Usually when I have a meeting at our apartment, I will offer tea and coffee. And if it is around a meal time I feel the need to feed people things. Impromptu meetings, the scourge and delight of the compulsive entertainer call for something quickly prepared. This is one of those dips that people can nibble on but is terribly easy to put together.
I always have a few links of chorizo in my freezer. They’re so versatile and full of flavour that I can add them to pasta or grain or pulse salads and they can inject their spicy, garlicky magic to them. A friend had told me about a dip with chorizo that she had tried at another friend’s house and I decided to try and see if I could do something similar. Coming together very easily, I actually thought that it may have been too easy and that the flavour would be missing something. Absolutely not to be. I served these with home made crackers (made in a large quantity the day before, another fast recipe) and suddenly, the meeting focus shifted from business to the dip. It might even invite an impromptu flash mob.
So tell me Dear Reader, would you like to work from home? Or have you ever and what did you think of it? And what do you always have in your freezer on standby?
Hot Chorizo Dip
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
- 350g/12.3 ozs raw chorizo sausages (about three chorizos)
- 125g/4 ozs cream cheese (low fat is fine)
- 200g/7ozs 1/2 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chopped spring onions plus a couple of tablespoons extra to sprinkle at the end
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- chilli powder (smoked if you have it)
- Bread or crackers to serve (or just a spoon!
)
1. Remove skins from chorizos and give a quick blitz in the food processor so that the chorizo is in even sized pieces. Heat a frypan to medium to high heat. Add the chorizos (you won’t need any oil as they have enough fat in them) and fry until cooked, about 3-4 minutes.
2. In the food processor, whiz the kidney beans and cream cheese. Turn the heat to low and then add this to the cooked chorizo and then add the spring onions and some chilli powder. Stir until everything comes together. Top with cheese and either place the lid on the pan to melt it or you can put it under the grill. Sprinkle with some extra green onions and chilli powder to taste. Serve with bread or crackers.
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69 Comments | Add your own
That dip is da bomb! A tasty combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ah, sweet times: first, I had a job, and second, I was able to work from home (telecommute)twice a week. Perfect balance! Yes, I did like it, and I wish I have that job again, or any job for that matter.
Oh YUM! I always have cut up Chorizo in the freezer too (I cut them into 1cm rounds so that they defrost quicker). I will definitely put this on the must make list. Great flavours to go with some lovely summery cocktails (it’s 34°C here today, quite warm indeed!).
I love working from home, it’s the best! Cute story about the water drinking club
. This dip looks like something that would be gone in 10 seconds flat and I’m loving the look of your homemade crackers!
I am a great fan of dips and I will definitely have a go at this one. This is my brain at work – I don’t have smoked chilli powder but I do have smoked paprika and cayenne, I can make this today!
Lorraine, I love working at home and now hate it when I don’t. No annoying people, no one telling me what to do but me. LOVE it.
Although the idea of a water-cooler meet is adorable… I’ll stick with dip and a meeting at your house any day. How I love chorizo and can’t wait to try it.
What a great sounding combination. I am sure that dip would be finished off in record time.
This looks delish! Perfect for winter entertaining. I would LOVE to work from home.
LOVe the idea of a water drinking club!!!
This sounds like quite a substantial dip. Yummy!
As a fellow blogger I work from home too and I quite like it. A few weeks ago I had dinner with my former work colleagues, and even though I hadn’t seen them for 2 years I felt like I slotted in so well with them. Almost as if I hadn’t left. In that moment I really missed being part of the team.
In reality though, I’m just remembering the good parts. There were lots of crappy things. The biggest one was sharing an office with someone who grew to despise me when I became pregnant and made my life a living hell for months! I don’t miss that at all.
OMG!!! That looks divine! I love chorizo…definitely making this on the weekend!
I am definitely going to give this a go over the weekend. Is asking for your cracker recipe too much of a stretch? Haha
That dip looks delicious! I always have frozen peas in the freezer, I love them.
A water drinking club? What an amazing world we live in. I like the sound of Mr. NQN’s sense of humor even if he wasn’t joking this time.
We call this Choriqueso in Mexico–or Queso Fundido con Chorizo…and it also makes a great filling for tortillas or a sandwich on a crusty bun. Nice version of it, Lorraine.
I often have frozen Filipino lumpia in my freezer, ready to go. I make them in advance and freeze them in packets.
What a lovely dip! I think I have to make this for a get together with the friends next
Sometimes I think I would like to work from home, but what would be my excuse for buying shoes
Always have chorizo and bacon in my freezer.
Great easy peasy recipe and looks delicious too. I tend to stay away from dips as they are a source of too many calories for me, once you start you can’t seem to stop, Addictive!
My Bolognaise sauce is a staple in the freezer, I make up a huge pot and freeze into meal-size containers, so handy.
I love the sound of chorizo dip yum!
That’s a great way to put it… I too only see people I actually want to. People always ask if I get lonely. I am very good at keeping myself entertained and as you said, if I need some people time I’ll organise it (and there’s always food!).
I would LOVE to work from home! In fact I’m currently working on a plan that will hopefully have me there in the next 6-12 months
YUM! looks amazing.
Yum! I have chorizo in the freezer too! And you know how much we love oddball..
Another yummy dip.
I agree not having to Work with horrible people is a blessing.
That dip sounds fantastic! I like the thought of working from home, but think I would need some outside contact a few days a week. J works from home and tends to get cabin fever by the end of the week.
I always have beef mince in my freezer, it is so versatile.
Yum – great recipe! And great idea for those who don’t drink enough water!
Yum! I hope your next post will be the home made crackers!
WOW this is such an easy recipe and perfect because my Mr Bao is ADDICTED to chorizo lol it’s like he can’t get enough of it!
I love working from home
I have been very lucky and even though I have only worked at this company for 2 months, it is a policy that most employees can work from home at least one day a week. I find that I am actually more productive when I am home alone and I can focus 
I also like not having to dress up and wear make up, simply roll out of bed, do my work and then have more time to run my own errands or hahaa sometimes I bake
Hmmm i always have ice-cream in the FREEZER!
The smoky chorizos with the beans and cream cheese would be a delicious combination. Great dip and I love the look of that bread. That is so funny about the water cooler meetings. I used to work in a large office and I can live without it. The only thing I miss is the pay! xx
Lorraine! that looks evil!
This looks so delicious Lorraine. I can’t wait to try it out. I actually have two chorizo sausages in the freezer at the moment. Think I have my Saturday lunch planned
I love working from home and hope to do more so in the near future.
I could happily (and productively of course) work away at my cute little desk in my trackies and ugg boots.
We always have a packet of dumplings in our freezer. Perfect for a mid-afternoon snack or turned into a wonton soup dinner.
I know what you mean about the isolation of working from home. I get out with friends at least twice a week without fail. John’s lovely but he just doesn’t do a decent chinwag.
I would very much like a chat and a bowl of this dip.
So much excitement in this post!
My husband LOVES chorizo – this dip looks delicious
A water club is a great idea. I try to keep a tally of my water consumption on the day’s diary next to me.
I would love to work from home, but honestly, I’d love to just be at home, doing whatever I fancy during the day (yes, Lady of Leisure)
I always have my ice-cream machine bowl in my freezer – does that count? Haha.
That sounds yummy!
Yummm.. That’s look delicious.
In my fridge, I will always make sure that I have eggs there otherwise I will feel something is missing..
Water drinking clubs? that is completly new for me.
I can work at home, I do on Fridays, but I relly like to go the office, you know, I need to see people, talk with somebody and to share a cup of coffee.
This dip looks fantastic, I guess my husband will ove, he likes chirizo so much.
Dear Lorraine,
I love Chorizo sausages or having them in a spicy pasta but never made a dip with them before. It looks like a great snack during happy hour though.
Ooooh this would be dangerous to have on stand by! It looks way to addictive and yummy
I like the idea of the water club, I think its a great alternative to the cigarette break! WhenI work in kitchens I refuse to miss out on these hourly 5 minute breaks, and take them as fresh air breaks- mashing sure to stand up wind!
Perhaps the cat and I could start a water/ milk club, while I’m home, so handy to catch up with all her news
What a hearty dip! Perfect for just before dinner in case you dont eat. Im so surprised about this water club haha. Its actually a great idea as your right, people dont drink enough water.
I would really like to work from home!! But that would mean not being able to travel and see the world! So, I’m a bit half hearted.
Hehe.
I usually have cooked food stored in the freezer. In case there is a proverbial war…
A bright mob at Mr NQN’s workplace! I am clapping!! I hope many other workplaces adopt this great boost-to-health approach and I fervently hope that each and every one of your readers does realize what preventive and curative good eight glasses of pure water [I have about two litres a day!] does to one’s body. Lecture over, I have worked from home for over 30 years and absolutely adore it
! Basically set my own hours, oft work at midnight but then take a few hours off during the day to ‘goof off’, do things in my own order: and get about twice the amount done compared to being in an office. Shall most decidedly try your chorizo dip: like the beans in it; would probably tweak it with ricotta [?] for lowering the fat content further! Am still clapping about the water club 
!
GREAT combination of flavors, LOVE the ease and simplicity!
For entertaining, THIS is a “must make” recipe! Thanks! WHOO HOO!
Yummy! I love chorizo – I had some last night at Luke Mangan’s new restaurant, Salt Tapas, near Raffles City in Singapore. I wonder if I can set up a water club at my Dad’s office? I am always asking him to drink more water! This is the perfect solution. He will laugh so much when I tell him about this idea! Bx
That dip looks smashing. But I have no clue what chorizo is. I will have to look for it.
Water drinking club…what an interesting concept….
Just had a chorizo and grilled cheese sandwich! Great minds
I’d love to work from home but fear I’d get distracted too easily. However, I think that’s when thinking about working from home doing the work I’m doing *now* and, let’s be honest, with a week to go I’m struggling in the office too…
In my freezer? English muffins and at least one type of raw vegan sweet.
I’ve been working from home for a year now and LOVE it, although I do get easily distracted! I can be pretty flexible with my hours too, which is a big help.
What a great recipe! Chorizo is a bit like bacon – every (well, almost every )dish is better with it in! I always have meat, frozen berries and puff pastry in my freezer. Not to be used all together, of course!
My husband loves chorizo, but it is so expensive to buy in KL. And not many places stock it.
I guess in a way I work from home – my bosses are my 2 children ;P
ohhh my, this dip has got it goin’ on! Quite dangerous…=D
I hope you had a fabulous 4th, my friend!!!
I miss going to work some days. But then I know if I went back I’d hate it and miss my baby. Swings and roundabouts.
I always have raspberries, sausage rolls, bread and soup in my freezer.
The dip looks absolutely amazing. My diet won’t quite accommodate chorizo at the moment though… Pity – it looks delicious!
K xx
I love the flexibility of working from home, and that I can easily pick my kids up for lunch at home and take them back to school for the afternoon (yes, in some parts of the Netherlands this is a common practice, especially for primary-school aged children – it’s wonderful). Office life gives some structure to a day, but I found there was a lot of time wasted (people dropping by for a chat, meetings that never started on time, those late afternoon drop-ins that made me late leaving for home and seeing my babies…drove me crazy). Although I miss the people contact, like you Lorraine, now I see who I want to see and have more flexibility to manage my day. If only I was more disciplined! My freezer always has fish sticks (with Omega 3), peas, raspberries, blueberries and vanilla ice-cream …you can tell there are children in my house. Can’t wait to try this dip – looks amazing.
Such a stunning dip my friend filled with awesome flavour punches!
Cheers
CCU
Since I do work in an office, I dream of working from home… I like the water club idea, here it is all about the coffee machine…
Ooh, I’ve never had chorizo in dip form before. Sounds interesting (and delicious!)
I work in an office in the city and enjoy coming in every day (not so much the commute, though!). While my job isn’t too bad and the people are generally alright, there are a few who get on my nerves so much that I often wish I was working from home!
Are you suppose to drain the grease from the chorizo after you cook it??? I know that chorizo produces a LOT of grease and I would think that it would need to be drained off so as not to make the dish too oily.
Cheesy chorizo dip sounds GOOOOOOD! I can imagine it on top of some corn chips as nachos! YUM! I work from home 4 days a week and i actually really like it. I guess i spend a lot of time on the phone or on video conference so it still feels like i am with people but yeah, I wouldn’t change this
I just bought a few chorizos today to have on hand! I made a baked risotto, fried up chorizo and green onions, then added chicken. Once chicken brown, I added pumpkin, fennel, garlic, arborio rice and chicken stock and baked for 45 mins. Delish with parmesan on top!
I usually have pastry in the freezer, and have started keeping passata jars in the cupboard. I usually have pasta, canned tuna and I nearly bought sweetened condensed milk today but wasn’t sure how long it would last so refrained
water drinking club – sounds bizarre – though it is hard to remember to drink when busy – and I think one of the hardest things about working from home is motivation but I agree it is nice not to have put up with everyone else
What a scream water club…….. I would love to work from home .This could be the perfect dip chorizo, and cheese and a healthy bean to boot
Perfect recipe for the type of weather we’re experiencing now, I’m printing this one out!
A water drinking club? On one hand, I would have been skeptical, too. But on the other hand, it’s good that people are trying to motivate one another like that.
This is great, love Chorizo, and would love your quick cracker recipe to go with it! hint hint!
YUM! looks amazing!
The men at my house would love this dip. xoxo Mum
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your comments
And I promise there will be a home made cracker recipe very soon! It’s sooo good, I can’t wait to share that with you! 
Yum! Just as well I have a chorizo in the freezer!
Some days I actually don’t drink water at all. I know it sounds REALLY bad and I’m trying to change, but throughout the day I always drink coffee, tea, and more tea… I just don’t have an urge to drink plain water. I think I need to be included in this group. I’ll go get water and drink alone on the other side of the globe. =) I would love to work from home if possible so that I can stay with my children and not hire nanny or babysitter…
Oh this I really, really need to try
It’s a winner on so many levels, including the option to use low fat cream cheese so it’s good for you 
Right?
beans, sausage, and cheese–a dip couldn’t possibly get better.
Do you think I can make this my dinner?
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