Ellen replied to Carol:
>> I've only cooked Mexican chorizo once, and I can't imagine every cooking
>> it again. I wound up with a gigantic pool of red grease. Major
>> turn-off.
>
> I'm not fond of the offal based chorizo, but Publix here, and many other
> places that make their own sausage, do a great job with chorizo. Basically
> ground pork seasoned with cumin, chili, oregano and other spices. Very
> good and not at all greasy. We use it in scrambles, chili con carne with
> beans, tacos/burritoes, etc.
I've got a couple recipes for chorizo; one is from _Some Like It Hotter_,
the other one is from an episode of "East Meets West." Here's the first
one:
Chorizo
3 pounds ground pork
1 cup cornmeal
3 large onions, diced
20 cloves of garlic, minced
4 small fresh hot chiles, minced
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 scant teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 scant teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed dried hot chiles
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup distilled vinegar
Salt to taste
3 yards sausage casings
Except for the casings, mix all ingredients together extremely well. Test
for seasoning by frying a small patty. Adjust the seasonings as required.
Pack into casings, tying off at 4-inch intervals, but leave each yard in a
continuous string. Hang over a wooden dowel to allow the skins to dry
thoroughly. The sausages may be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator
for up to two weeks, or frozen indefinitely. Fry or steam to cook, but like
any sausage, prick the skins to prevent bursting. It is always more
successful to cook sausages slowly.
I *was* just going to post a recipes for chorizo, but then it occurred to me
that since the recipes from "East Meets West" aren't on the foodnetwork.com
site, I might as well post the whole menu from an episode I recorded. The
chorizo recipe is in there, along with some other great stuff:
Jerk Pork with Chorizo Fried Rice, Jicama Slaw, and Orange Syrup
NOTE: This is a 2-day process.
BRINE:
4 pork loin chops, 1 1/2 inches thick
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
8 cups water
Place the pork in a shallow dish. In a bowl, combine salt, sugar and water
until dissolved. Pour over pork (should be submerged). Cover and store in
refrigerator overnight.
MARINADE: (everything can be roughly chopped since it's going into a food
processor)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1/2 bunch scallions
8 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 cup garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped ginger
1/4 cup dried orange peel
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 habaņero chiles
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups canola oil
In a food processor, puree cilantro, parsley, scallions, kaffir, garlic,
ginger and orange peel. Add a little of the oil if necessary. Add the spices
and chiles and puree. Add the hoisin and juice and while the machine is
running, add the oil in a steady stream. Check for seasoning. It will not be
very salty, since there is no added salt, but should be very fragrant with a
little kick. Take out 2 tablespoons marinade and reserve. Rinse pork off and
place in marinade overnight. On a hot grill, cook pork, criss-crossing on
both sides. Brush with the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade during
grilling. Total cooking time will be 12 to 14 minutes.
AMY'S CHORIZO FRIED RICE:
CHORIZO:
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (another red chile would do)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound fatty ground pork, not the lean type
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a dry skillet on medium heat, toast all the dry spices until fragrant.
Let come to room temperature then mix with garlic and pork. Season with salt
and pepper. Make sure to mix really well. Let stand for 2 hours in the
refrigerator before using.
FRIED RICE:
1 pound chorizo, above recipe
6 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
3 scallions, sliced 1/8-inch, separated, save green for garnish
Canola oil to cook
Salt and black pepper to taste
[BOB'S NOTE: Plain long-grain rice works fine; in fact, it's BETTER to use
leftover rice which has been refrigerated. Basmati rice is fragile after
cooking, and fried rice using basmati often suffers because of that. Jasmine
rice's delicate fragrance seems a bit out of place in this boldly-flavored
dish, so I wouldn't use it.]
In a wok or large skillet, coat with oil and sear the chorizo over high
heat. Break up the chorizo into small pieces and cook about 5 minutes until
browned. Add the rice and scallion whites and heat through. Check for
seasoning.
JICAMA SLAW:
1 large jicama, peeled and julienned (about 2 cups)
[BOB'S NOTE: I must be getting mutant jicamas at my local Safeway. A *large*
jicama would easily yield 4 cups of julienne.]
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a bowl, combine all and check for seasoning.
ORANGE SYRUP:
Juice of 4 oranges
1 slice peeled ginger
1/2 cup canola oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a non-reactive pan, reduce juice and ginger by 80 percent until a syrup
is achieved. Scrape into a blender and while running, drizzle in the oil.
Season and check. Store in the refrigerator.
SERVING SUGGESTION: Place a mound of fried rice in the center of a plate and
top with 1 pork chop. Top that with jicama and drizzle orange syrup on pork
and plate. Garnish with scallion greens.
Bob
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