Mexican Chorizo Tacos

There’s something about warm spring weekends that make me crave tacos – the spicy meat steaming on a soft corn tortilla with crunchy, fresh toppings. I unfortunately do not live near a taco truck, so have started making these easy and tasty snacks/meals every couple of weeks or so.

The Mexican chorizo taco idea came from watching famed South-of-the-border chef Rick Bayless on public television (I had no idea how many great Public TV cooking shows exist!). He was talking about the beautiful simplicity of a the taco – I immediately went out and purchased a bunch of taco fixins.

You’ll notice in the pictures that I used maybe a little too much onion (for my taste), but it was still delicious.

Mexican Chorizo Tacos

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 8 oz. Mexican chorizo sausage, removed from casings
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 10 corn tortillas
• Mexican cheese blend, shredded (optional)
• Mixed greens, or baby spinach
• 1 T EVOO

Heat large skillet over medium; add oil. When hot, add onions and sautee until beginning to brown. Add chorizo and break up with a wooden spoon.

Cook chorizo until the chili oil begins to sizzle and loosen the meat – 4-5 min. Set aside.

Heat tortillas using package instructions (sandwich them between damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds). Sprinkle with cheese, if using, then chorizo mixture.

Top with greens for an added crunch.

These are wonderful with a cold beer or margarita on a warm spring day. Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Advertisement

Tapas Night – Quail Eggs and Chorizo

I’m happy to report that I finally found a use for my quail eggs! Of course the Spanish would have a delicious way to prepare them – simply fried and served atop a piece of toast, along with chorizo. I served the little appetizers as part of a tapas party with some foodie friends of ours (whose dishes blew ours out of the water, p.s.).

But back to the quail eggs.

Small as your thumb, they are beautifully speckled, with a shell and membrane so thick, you might have to gently pierce it with your knife. It’s true – the little buggers were hard to get out. And then some of them wouldn’t come out at all (faulty eggs). I was stressing at that point because company would arrive at any moment and my chorizo was getting too browned. All that stress led me to feel bitter about the tiny eggs with their very large yolks, which tasted like a more-eggy chicken egg. Does that make sense? They taste stronger, but the same.

Anyhow, here’s what I did:

Toast sliced baguette with drizzle of olive oil, S&P. Rub still-hot bread slices with peeled garlic clove.

Heat a small drizzle of olive oil in a skillet. Brown 1 package of Spanish chorizo, removed from casings and sliced into half-moons. Drain on paper towels.

Crack quail eggs into little bowl, then pour one-by-one onto the still hot and oily chorizo pan. Fry until the edges begin to brown, then remove with spatula and place on top of toast. Top with chorizo and parsley to garnish.

To accompany our meal, we served Spanish Marcona almonds, which are so salty and oily that you may have trouble stopping.

My friend made these cheese-and-almond stuffed dates that are wrapped and fried with bacon. They were to-die-for.

She also made this decadent chocolate ganache and caramelized banana tart with fresh banana slices on top. It was just lovely.

And of course I had to make a quick sangria. One bottle of a fruity red wine plus some sugar, sliced oranges, blackberries, lemonade and good club soda. Let it chill for 1 hour. Done!

Enjoy your next fiesta, friends! xoxo

Seared kale with chorizo

I admittedly am not a “dark greens” lover, but this is amazing. Whenever kale is looking fresh, I grab a few bundles of the curly dark-green leaves. They are great mixed into soups, baked with pastas or grains or simply cooked with a little fat until tender and bright with flavor.

I originally planned on making this with leftover sage sausage from the farmers’ market, but the chorizo in my fridge wooed me. The chorizo’s spicy, smoky flavor really sang with the kale – a surprising depth with each bite.

Seared kale with chorizo

• 1 bunch kale, washed and torn from the stem
• 4 oz. chorizo (or more!), chopped into chunks
• EVOO
• kosher salt
• cracked pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 c. chicken stock (or water)

In a large skillet, heat a scant 1 tsp EVOO over medium. Add the chorizo and brown lightly 2-3 min. Add the kale and step back while the moisture spits in the hot oil. Allow the kale to wilt down – this will give you a nice seared edge on some pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste, then a few shavings of nutmeg (my mother’s trick). Toss with tongs, then add a bit of chicken stock to help things along. Check for seasonings (mother also adds vinegar to her dark greens, but I don’t think these needed it) and take off the heat as soon as the kale turns bright green and is wilted.

Hey, ma, it's healthy!

Like I said, kale surprises me. But I suppose if you mix any vegetable with sausage, the results will please you. Serve up and enjoy, friends! xoxo

Cheese and chorizo scramble

The best way to eat breakfast is with the least amount of effort. I typically hate chopping, slicing and baking in the mornings. What I hate even more is having to go to the grocery store in the morning. Which is why, if you simply have eggs, you can turn any weekly leftovers into something satisfying.

That is where this weekend breakfast dish came from…

Cheesy Chorizo Scramble

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 4 T milk
• Salt and pepper
• 4 oz. Spanish chorizo, chopped
• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped into cubes
• 2 small shallots, chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 T chopped Italian parsley

In a nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp EVOO over medium and add the shallots. Stir until starting to become soft, 4-5 min., then add chorizo. Cook the chorizo until the fat starts to render, another 3-4 min., then stir in tomatoes and cook 1 more min.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Pour eggs over chorizo mixture and reduce heat to low, stirring constantly. When eggs are almost set, add mozzarella and stir gently until starting to melt. Sprinkle in chopped parsley and serve!

The chorizo makes this dish a bit spicy and full of exotic flavor. The mozzarella is a nice chewy addition that doesn’t overpower the dish. Perfect for brunch or lunch because the eggs are really an afterthought to all the add-ins. Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Chicken and chorizo paella

Making this dish, I had one of those “if only I had known …” moments. Spanish chorizo. It is expensive and difficult to find around here, even though Mexican chorizo is everywhere. But it is sooo delicious, whether you are slicing it for a cheese plate (perhaps with some manchego and marcona almonds?) or chopping it for the quintessential Spanish dish: paella.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Spain, where one of my goals was to have paella. It was yummy, full of fresh seafood and cooked so that the rice was crunchy on the bottom and soft on the top.

Paella Marisco

Paella de pollo

Bon Appetit had a recent article about paella that made me hungry for it. I just love the idea of cooking with saffron, and I happened to have some from when I made chicken scallopine. It turned out really well. Instead of buying bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, I goofed and bought boneless skinless thighs. No matter – I just watched them to make sure they didn’t overcook. I also didn’t add peas, because I don’t like peas. However, if you want a bit of green in the dish, feel free to add peas or a sprinkling of chopped parsley. I also omitted the roasted red peppers, which you can chop and mix into the rice, if desired.

Of course, I don’t have a real paella pan, but I do have a large nonstick skillet that is oven-safe. However, it doesn’t have a lid, so I just covered it with tin foil and placed my biggest lid on top … it worked just fine, I only added a little extra chicken stock to account for the increased evaporation.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 6 large chicken thighs (2.5 lbs)
• 8 oz. smoked Spanish chorizo, sliced
• 1 T EVOO
• 1 large chopped yellow onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain rice
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes in juice

Preheat oven to 400. Mix wine with saffron and set aside.

Combine salt, paprika, black pepper in a small bowl and rub all over chicken.

Heat large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add chorizo and saute until fat renders and sausage browns, about 3 min. Transfer to a large plate and add EVOO to skillet. Add chicken thighs and cook until browned on all sides, 4 min. per side. Transfer chicken to plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add onion, cooking until translucent, 5 min. Add minced garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine-saffron mixture and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then stir in chorizo. Place chicken atop mixture in skillet. Cover tightly with foil, then lid, and bake until rice is almost tender, 25 min.

Transfer chicken to plate, stir rice, season to taste with salt and pepper. If chicken is done, leave it out. If not, return it to the skillet and cook until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 10 min. longer.

The chicken thighs are so much more tender than chicken breasts, and the chorizo is a nice, spicy addition. I think there should always be more chorizo!

Spoon big servings on your plate and dig in! Enjoy, friends. xoxo

Mexican baked omelet

Mexican chorizo comes well seasoned - no chili powder needed!

I just wanted to give you a quick update before my big “Pretentious Thanksgiving” post from this weekend’s D.C. festivities, which will be full of gourmet foods and argyle sweaters. However, until I can upload and edit the pics, here is a little recipe I made last week.

It is the same recipe as my Italian egg bake, but instead of sausage, I used two links of Mexican chorizo (the soft, spicy kind) and instead of Gruyere I used cheddar. I served it with fresh salsa and sour cream.

See how easy it is to alter recipes once you have a good base?

Until later…Enjoy, friends! xoxo