Nigel Slater's recipes for chorizo, prunes and almonds stew, and baked pears with oloroso

A velvety stew and sherry-baked pears to warm the soul A chilly night brought on the idea of a dark and sumptuous stew, as black as liquorice, sweet with prunes and spicy from roughly torn lengths of chorizo. There was a touch of the Middle East to this supper. The classic marriage of meat and fruit, but also in its spicing - I used ground cinnamon, coriander and cumin. Once the sausage and prunes have simmered, there is an innate softness, almost a velvety quality to the sauce. I include a scat...