On the List: Chorizo and Eggs

Chorizo and Eggs

Posted by Elise on Apr 18, 2008
Filed under Breakfast and Brunch, Egg, Low Carb, Mexican and Tex Mex, Quick

Growing up, we had some of the standard American foods for breakfast - cream o' wheat, oatmeal, waffles, fried eggs, pancakes (no sugar coated cereals in this household!) - and a couple things I never saw in any of my friends' homes - huevos, and my favorite chorizo with eggs. My mother is hispanic by ancestry and looks, and even though she doesn't speak a drop of Spanish she still cooks what she was taught by her mother, grandmother and relatives, growing up in Tucson, Arizona. Thus we alone on our block had chorizo, or Mexican sausage scrambled up with eggs. I didn't even know that chorizo was the name of the sausage and not the dish until I was in my twenties. What is chorizo? A spicy pork sausage. While the Spanish version is usually spiced with paprika and garlic, Mexican chorizo is spiced with chile peppers. I've seen chorizo served in Mexican restaurants most often as a side sausage, like bacon. We cook ours up with the eggs and add some raisins as well, the sweetness of which provides some balance to the spicy chile in the chorizo.


Chorizo and Eggs Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Olive oil or bacon fat
1/3 cup chopped onions (green, red, or yellow onions) optional
1/4 lb of Mexican chorizo sausage, removed from sausage casing
3 Tbsp raisins - soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
5 to 6 eggs
Salt
Tortillas - optional
Cilantro - optional

Chorizo sausage from Whole Foods. Whole Foods has a standard recipe and spices for making chorizo sausage and may make some up for you upon request if you don't see it displayed.
METHOD
1 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or bacon fat in the pan. Add the chopped onions (optional) and cook until softened. Once softened, move to the side of the pan and add break up bits of chorizo into the pan. Use a wooden spatula to break up the pieces of sausage. Add the raisins. Stir until the sausage is cooked through, though not necessarily browned. If you are not using lean chorizo, drain the excess fat from the pan before proceeding. If you are not using lean chorizo, you may want to cook the chorizo first, draining the excess fat, then remove to a plate while you cook the onions in the remaining fat. We usually cook with lean chorizo, so excess fat isn't an issue.


2 Crack the eggs one at a time, into the pan. Break the yolks and stir the eggs into the sausage. Add a light sprinkling of salt. Stir constantly until the eggs begin to set, but are still moist. Remove from heat.
Serve immediately with a side of warmed corn tortillas and cilantro as a garnish.
Serves 2-3.

The Ultimate Paella

This is a variation from Tyler Florence's recipe in "Eat This Book"



Prep 30 min
Inactive Prep 1 hr 0 min
Cook1 hr 0 min
Total:2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch saffron threads
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 lobster tails
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving
Special equipment:
Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Directions

Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Heat 1/4 c oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.



In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.

Cook's note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

Spice Mix for chicken:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered

Kiwi Berry Frozen Yoghurt with Red Raspberry Sauce

We were thrilled to get our first box of organic home delivery of fruits and veggies this week. To add to the surprise we were treated with a box of Kiwi Berry's.

I used them to make Kiwi Berry Frozen Yoghurt for desert.



Kiwi Berry Frozen Yoghurt with Red Raspberry Sauce

12 to 14 KiwiBerrys, pureed
1 tablespoon honey
500 ml frozen low-fat or nonfat vanilla yogurt, softened
1 package 250g frozen red raspberries in syrup, thawed
2 tablespoons triple sec or other orange liqueur
2 teaspoons corn flour
3 KiwiBerrys, sliced lengthwise
fresh mint leaves
fresh or frozen whole raspberries (optional)

Combine KiwiBerry puree and honey. Place in freezer and freeze until slushy (about 45 minutes). In a stainless steel bowl, quickly combine softened yogurt and kiwifruit mixture; refreeze in bowl. With a small ice cream scoop form balls and place on a wax paper-lined tray; refreeze...

To make raspberry sauce, in food processor or blender puree thawed raspberries. over saucepan, strain berries, through a fine sieve, pressing with back of a spoon. discard seeds. Stir in orange liqueur and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Cool; cover and chill. To assemble; spoon sauce on dessert plates or shallow bowls. Arrange KiwiBerry slices and frozen yogurt balls on sauce and garnish with mint and whole raspberries.
Makes 6 servings

KiwiBerry Dessert Topping Suggestions: Try KiwiBerry puree over: Your favorite cheesecake ( it goes well with chocolate too ) Over ice cream or sorbet ( mandarin oranges are a nice compliment )



The hardest part was forming the individual scoops. =)

Proper Chicken Caesar Salad

One evening Doug and I were watching an episode of Jamie Oliver's cooking show that was dedicated to summer salads. He created his version of a grilled Caesar and we had to immediately replicate it.






Yummy... the chicken and croutons come out crispy from the grill



The dressing is mashed together with a mortar and pestle to bring the anchovies to a paste.



Proper Chicken Caesar Salad

Directions
With my own versions of the classics, like Caesar salad, it's not about changing things entirely; it's about respecting the original while bigging up the flavors and textures where I can. My twists for this salad are to use chicken legs (not dry old breasts!), smoky pancetta and lovely rustic croutons to suck up all the juices. It's a lovely little salad with just a hint of attitude - and it's versatile, as you can serve it hot or cold.

P.S. Use your imagination - if you have any other unusual salad leaves, flowers or herb shoots lying around, chuck some in to make it look a little less predictable.

Ingredients
4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on
1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices pancetta or bacon
1/4 clove peeled garlic
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve
1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven.

After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they're cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly.

Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones - you can use 2 forks to do this, or your hands if you're tough like me - and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings.

"Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"

This is a Sunset recipe. It just looks so inviting and yummy. I'm excited to make it.

End-of-Summer Pasta

Use up your end-of-summer veggies by grilling them alongside chicken, and then tossing with pasta and parmesan cheese. This no-fuss supper is extremely versatile and makes delicious leftovers.

Total: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients

* 1 cup olive oil
* 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breast halves, rinsed
* 1 pound zucchini
* 2 red bell peppers (12 oz. total)
* 2 portabella mushroom caps (7 oz. total)
* 1 red onion (12 oz.)
* 1 package (1 lb.) dried penne pasta
* 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
* Salt and fresh-ground pepper
* 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for basting vegetables; pour remaining into a 1-gallon zip-lock plastic bag. Cut chicken lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips and add to bag. Seal bag and turn to coat. Chill about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rinse zucchini, bell peppers, and mushroom caps. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Stem and seed bell peppers; quarter lengthwise. Peel onion and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Brush vegetables with reserved marinade.

3. Cooking in batches if necessary, lay vegetables and chicken (discard marinade) on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until vegetables are slightly charred and chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 10 minutes total. Let cool a few minutes. Chop vegetables and chicken into 1-inch pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta, stir, and cook, uncovered, until barely tender to bite, 9 to 13 minutes. Drain.

5. In a large bowl, mix pasta with remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, parmesan cheese, half the chopped vegetables and chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining vegetables and chicken. Garnish with sliced basil.

Kitchen Notes

Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hour, plus about 45 minutes to marinate.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
872 (44% from fat)
Protein:
49g
Fat:
43g (sat 9.6)
Carbohydrate:
69g
Fiber:
4.2g
Sodium:
1165mg
Cholesterol:
85mg

Blueberry Grunt

Blueberry Grunt

From the episode: Stovetop Desserts



Do not use frozen blueberries here, as they will make the filling watery. You will need a clean kitchen towel for this recipe.

Serves 12.
Ingredients
Filling
8 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Topping
3/4 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions

1.

1. For the filling: Cook 4 cups blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, water, and lemon zest in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and jamlike, 10 to 12 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and cornstarch in small bowl, then stir into blueberry mixture. Add remaining blueberries and cook until heated through, about 1 minute; remove pot from heat, cover, and keep warm.
2.

2. For the topping: Combine buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in measuring cup. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Slowly stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until dough forms.
3.

3. Using small ice cream scoop or 2 large spoons, spoon golf ball-sized dumplings on top of warm berry mixture (you should have 14 dumplings). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean kitchen towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 16 to 22 minutes.
4.

4. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in small bowl. Remove lid and sprinkle dumplings with cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.

Granola

I've always wanted to make my own granola. It's so simple, I don't know why I haven't tried it. This months issue of Real Simple inspired me.