CHORIZO BITES WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Chorizo Bites with Arugula Pesto image

Provided by Chuck Hughes

Time 15m

Yield 5 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 big packed handfuls arugula leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water, as needed
1 (8-inch) link chorizo sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
Dash oil, for sauteing
Dash sherry vinegar

Steps:

To make the pesto: Add the arugula, garlic, cheese, and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor or blender, and puree. As the processer is running, drizzle in the olive oil. This will be used to garnish the Chorizo. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper, to taste. If the pesto is too thick, you can thin it out with water.
To make the sausage: Cut the sausage link into large 1 1/2-inch chunks. Heat the oil in a saute pan, and saute the sausage until the edges start to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Toss the pieces while they fry so they cook all over.
Add a dash of sherry vinegar to the pan to deglaze and release all the flavors. Transfer the sausage to a platter and serve with dollops of the arugula pesto. Add little cocktail sticks or toothpicks to each piece for easy eating.