Many, if not most, fly fisher folk are inveterate tinkerers.
We tie flies. We wrap rods. We build boats. We tweak equipment.
A fair number of fly fisher folk we’ve run into over the years have an affinity for food and tinkering around the grill and in the kitchen.
Most of us here at Chi Wulff fall into the ‘all of the above’ category, and here’s a recipe we’ve tinkered with for some time to get right – a very good home-made Chorizo.
Once again our weakness for spicy, southwestern origin food shines through; this is another one of those comfort foods that many of us have taken for granted over the years as a staple.
Chorizo can be a challenge in that many if not most of the store brand, pre-prepared versions are incredibly greasy and contain parts of critters that you’d never ponder eating if you really knew they had been tossed in the grinder.
Like most comfort foods prepared with care and attention to using the freshest ingredients, this version of Chorizo is nothing like you’ve tasted before and much more akin to the artisanal sausages (think Bruce Adell’s) you’ve thrown on the grill lately. Throw in the added bonus that it’s cheap to make and inordinately simple and you can’t beat it.
We’ve taken to throwing in some whole cumin seeds too; they add some interesting texture much like fennel seeds in good hand made italian sausage.
Best made a day in advance to let the flavors meld and mature.
This chorizo will transform your breakfast tacos, pep up your beans and soups and is great on the grill.
2 lbs lean ground pork
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and small stems, chopped
2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 tbs red chile powder
1 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbs sweet paprika
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
Prep couldn’t be easier. Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
Cook it any way you desire: fry it up ground to mix with eggs for breakfast tacos or in other recipes, cook in patties in skillet or on the grill. We’ve even stuffed into casings and grilled it – damn that’s good.
Make a double or triple and freeze it; you’ll use this one again and again.
Enjoy.
Tags: Friday Feast
