Cheeryo Chorizo

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is all about Chorizo. There’s nothing like putting alittle spice in your life without the overpowering sensation of your tongue burning off, and chorizo is just it. So this week’s recipes are Beef and Chorizo Pie and Sweet, Potato, Chickpea and Chorizo Hash. The herb of the week is Nettle.
Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula.
Chorizo can be a fresh sausage, in which case it must be cooked before eating. In Europe it is more frequently a fermented cured smoked sausage, in which case it is usually sliced and eaten without cooking. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chouriço get their distinctive smokiness and deep red colour from dried smoked red peppers (pimentón/pimentão or colorau). Due to culinary tradition, and the expense of imported Spanish smoked paprika, Mexican chorizo (and chorizo throughout Latin America) is usually made with chilli peppers, which are used abundantly in Mexican cuisine. In Latin America, vinegar also tends to be used instead of the white wine usually used in Spain. In Spain and Portugal the sausages are usually encased in intestines, in a traditional method that has been used since Roman times. In Latin America, however, they are usually encased in artificial casings, have a smooth commercial appearance, and artificial colourings are often used.
Chorizo can be eaten as is (sliced or in a sandwich), barbecued, fried, or simmered in apple cider or other strong alcoholic beverage such as aguardiente. It also can be used as a partial replacement for ground beef or pork. Spanish style tapas bars that serve traditional style chorizo have gained in popularity in recent years and now appear in many large cities throughout North America.
My first recipe is Beef and Chorizo Pie, courtesy of Tesco “Real Food” Magazine, Autumn 2010.
This recipe serves 6 people, takes 1hr 15mins, plus 1hr slow cooking to prepare and can take 40mins to cook.
3 tbsp x Olive Oil
1kg x Braising Beef - trimmed and cut into chunks
200g x Chorizo – cut into chunks
2 x Red Onions – peeled and cut into wedges
3 x Garlic Cloves - crushed
A Pinch of Crushed Dried Chilli
250ml x Red Wine
500ml x Beef Stock
2 x Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
1 x Bay Leaf
1 x 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
300g x Butternut Squash - diced
1 tbsp x Butter - softened
1 tbsp x Plain Flour, plus extra for rolling out
500g x Puff Pastry
1 x Egg - beaten
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Season the beef and brown in batches. Set aside. Add extra oil and brown the chorizo. Set aside with beef. Add the onions, cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and chilli and cook for a minute. Return the meat to the pan and pour in the red wine. Simmer for a minute then add the stock, thyme, bay leaf and tin of tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for an hour. Add the butternut squash and cook for a further 30mins. Take of the heat and fish out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Let cool for 10mins.
Remove any fat from the surface, return to the heat and bring to a gentle boil. In a small pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Stir into the main dish until the sauce thickens, then pour the filling into a pie dish. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 190C Gas Mark 5. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface, so that it’s slightly larger than the pie dish. Brush the rim with water and top with the pastry lid. Press down to seal. Brush with beaten egg and cut a steam vent in the top. Place on a baking tray and cook for about 40mins, until puffed and golden.
Herb of the Week – Nettle (Urtica), also known as Common Nettle, Stinging Nettle, Devil’s Leaf and Devil’s Plaything.
This plant is found the world-over, mostly on wasteland on damp, nutrient-rich soil. The generic name comes from the Latin uro, meaning I burn. The Roman name Urtica pilulifera originally came to Britain with the invading Romans, it was used to keep them warm y the soldiers flogging themselves with the nettles to keep their blood circulating. It was also used in the making of fabric. Nettle cloth has been found in a Danish grave of the later Bronze Age, wrapped around cremated bones.
The nettle has many therapeutic applications but is principally of benefit in all kinds of internal haemorrhages, as a diuretic in jaundice and haemorrhoids, and as a laxative. It is also used in dermatological problems including eczema. Nettles make a valuable tonic after the long winter months when they provide one of the best sources of minerals. They are an excellent remedy for anaemia. Their vitamin C content makes sure that the iron they contain is properly absorbed.
Nettles are an invaluable food, rich in both vitamins and minerals. In spring the fresh leaves may be cooked and eaten like spinach, made into a delicious soup, or drunk as a tea.... and don’t worry, the nettles lose their sting when cooked.
My next recipe is Sweet, Potato, Chickpea and Chorizo Hash, courtesy of GoodFood Magazine September 2010.
This recipe serves 4 people, takes 10mins to prepare and takes 20mins to cook.
600g x Sweet Potato - diced
1 tbsp x Sunflower Oil
1 x Large Red Onion – thinly sliced
400g x Cooking Chorizo – skinned and crumbled (these are a pain to peel, but well worth the effort)
1 x 400g Tin of Chickpeas – rinsed and drained
4 x Large Eggs
1 x Green Chilli – thinly sliced into eggs (optional)
Boil the sweet potatoes for 8mins until tender, then drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan and cook the onion and chorizo for 5mins until softened. Add the sweet potatoes and chickpeas and cook for 5mins more. Roughly break the mixture up with a fork, then flatten it down lightly to form a cake. Cook for a further 8mins, without stirring, until cooked through, crispy and golden on the bottom.
Heat the grill to high. Break the eggs onto the hash, season, then place the pan under the grill and cook for 2-3mins until the whites are set. Sprinkle with the chilli rings (if using).
If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D
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