Best Spanish Chorizo Recipes

ONE-POT SPANISH-STYLE SHRIMP AND CHORIZO PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pasta starts to turn golden, about 5 minutes (pasta will break up a bit during stirring).
• Lower heat and add garlic, tomato paste and chorizo, and cook until tomato paste is lightly caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes. Add fennel, clam juice and 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over moderate heat until pasta has softened and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp, peas and Parmesan, cover and cook until shrimp is opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
• Drizzle with oil and serve with lemon wedges.

SPANISH STYLE PORK CHOPS WITH CHORIZO AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season the chops with paprika, salt, and pepper. Place chops in skillet and sear meat to caramelize, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer the chops to a cookie sheet and place in the oven to finish off, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meat is firm to touch, but not tough. Remove from the oven and let the chops rest covered with a piece of aluminum foil for a few minutes.
• While the chops are in the oven, return the skillet to the cook top over medium heat. Add the diced chorizo and cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook meat and onions for about 3 minutes.
• Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in another skillet with a lid.
• Grind the peppers and parsley in a food processor until smooth. Add the sherry or wine to the sausage and onions and stir, then stir in the ground peppers. Cook another minute or 2 or until the peppers are heated through.
• Place green beans in boiling water. Salt it and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and dress with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Place a chop on each dinner plate and top with the chorizo-roasted pepper sauce. Serve with green beans, garnished with Marcona or toasted almonds, Cheesy Rice and/or crusty bread, for plate-mopping.
• Melt butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pot. Add rice and toast in butter 2 minutes. Add stock and bring rice up to a boil. Cook rice 17 to 18 minutes until tender and liquids are absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff rice with fork, then stir in the parsley and cheese. Season the rice with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Ease of preparation: easy

SPANISH CHORIZO AND TOMATO SCRAMBLED EGGS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook until just beginning to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes.
• Beat eggs with salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. Stir seasoned eggs into tomato mixture in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir until the eggs are set, 3 to 5 minutes.

BLACK BEAN AND SPANISH CHORIZO WITH RICE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook chorizo, stirring gently, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add onion and garlic to the pan; cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice. Cook, mixing occasionally, until coated in oil, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Pour chicken stock into the rice mixture; bring to a boil. Add diced tomatoes with peppers, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes, adding more water if needed. Add the cooked chorizo and black beans; cook and stir until heated through, 4 to 6 minutes more.

SPANISH CHICKEN WITH CHORIZO AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Much as I love to have a pan bubbling away on the stove, I often feel that the most stress-free way to feed people is by taking the oven route. When I'm frazzled, I firmly believe that a "tray-bake" is the safest way to go. Enjoy the easefulness of the oven: you just throw everything in, and you're done. I think I'd go to the supreme effort of laying on a green salad as well but, other than that, you may kick up your flamenco heels and enjoy the fiesta.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the oil in the bottom of 2 shallow roasting pans or quarter sheet pans, 1 tablespoon in each. Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, then turn skin side up and put 6 pieces in each pan.
• Divide the chorizo sausages and the baby potatoes between the 2 pans. Sprinkle with the onion and the oregano, then grate the orange zest over the contents of the 2 pans.
• Bake for 1 hour, but after 30 minutes, swap the top pan with the bottom pan in the oven and baste the contents with the orange-colored juices. Transfer the chicken mixture to a large serving platter and serve.
• Making Leftovers Right
• Chicken Quesadillas:
• You can reheat what remains (removing the bones from the chicken first) within 2 days, maybe with some canned diced tomatoes, sherry, and orange juice, but my absolute favorite final destination for this dish is a quesadilla. When I was last in Kansas City, that shining city of lights, I breakfasted on a chicken, pepper jack, and potato quesadilla (as one does) and it inspired me. So, just get as many soft flour tortillas as your leftovers command, take the bones out of the chicken, dice the meat along with the chorizo and potatoes, and stir in some diced, shredded, or grated cheese (Cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, all are possible), dollop some of the mixture into each tortilla, fold, then griddle or fry. Make sure the chicken is piping hot. And do see p.433 for more in-depth instruction. This makes for a splendid hangover-banishing breakfast or near-instant dinner, the sort you chow down on while watching something compellingly bad on TV.

CHICKEN AND CHORIZO SPANISH ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cool. Drain the grease from the pan, but reserve the drippings at the bottom.
• To the pan, add 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the garlic, chiles, bay leaf, onions and salt and pepper, cook to soften, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock, paprika, tomatoes, tomato sauce and cinnamon. Simmer to thicken the sauce, about 15 minutes.
• Pour about one-third to one-half of the sauce into a large casserole dish.
• Combine the cooled down chorizo with the chicken, half the manchego and Pepper Jack cheese, parsley and olives. Wrap the filling inside the charred tortillas and arrange in a casserole dish, cover with the remaining sauce and cheese. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the enchiladas from room temperature until hot through and brown and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes.

SPANISH LENTIL SOUP WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Soak the lentils in cold water for an hour prior to cooking.
• Heat olive oil on low heat, add onion and garlic. Sautée until onion begins to look translucent and garlic browns a little.
• Add water and lentils, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add potato.
• Add chorizo, in one inch slices.
• Cook until lentils get soft and expand and chorizo filling strains against natural casing, about 40-45 minutes.
• Serve warm with crusty bread.

SPANISH RICE, CHICKEN&CHORIZO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to18oC/fan16oC/gas4. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a paella pan or a broad, shallow pan, season the chicken thighs and brown them in batches on all sides (but don't cook through). Remove, then add the peppers and chorizo to the same pan and cook over a medium heat until the peppers soften.
• Throw in the onion and garlic and cook gently until the onion is soft. Stir in the paprika and chilli and cook for a minute, stirring,then add the chicken stock. Put the chicken pieces back, bring the stock to a simmer and cook, covered, over a gentle heat for15 minutes.
• Pour the rice around the chicken and season. Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until the stock has absorbed and the top is golden. You don't need to stir the rice as it cooks.
• Cover the dish with foiI and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Scatter with the parsley and lemon juice over the top before serving.

SPANISH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Grind meat and fat separately through the coarse disk and mix together.
• Place in a LARGE bowl.
• Sprinkle remaining ingredients on meat mix thoroughly.
• Cover with plastic wrap and cure in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Remove from fridge and give meat mixture another good stir.
• Prepare casings and stuff with meat.
• Tie off in 4 inch links.
• Hang to dry for 8 weeks.

SPANISH FRIED EGGS WITH POTATOES AND CHORIZO (HUEVOS FRITOS CON

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and slice thinly.
• Heat the oil and fry the potatoes, adding the onions and parsley.
• When tender, remove to serving platter. Cut into thin strips, fry the piquillo, and place them on top of the potatoes.
• Add more olive oil to the pan if necessary. When oil is hot but not smoking, crack the eggs singly into a dish and slide them into the pan.
• Splash oil over the egg as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and remove it to drain. Repeat for each egg, and place the cooked eggs around the potatoes on the platter.
• Slice the chorizo in thin slices and fry very briefly. Add to the platter and serve immediately.
• This dish should serve several people, depending on their appetites. Even Spanish gourmets find that their families prefer this simple dish to their most delicate creations!

SPANISH CHORIZO, KALE AND CRANBERRY BEAN SOUP WITH OVEN-DRIED TOMATO-GARLIC TOAST

Steps:

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook until lightly golden brown and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a paper-towel lined plate and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat. (The amount of fat will vary depending on the chorizo that is used. If your chorizo does not render at least 2 tablespoons of fat, then add olive oil.) Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onions to the fat and cook over medium heat until soft, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the kale and cook until slightly wilted, 2 minutes. Add the stock, wine and salt; cover and bring to a boil. Add the cranberry beans and cooked chorizo; lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans and kale are soft, about 1 hour.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place tomatoes in the oven and bake in the oven for 6 to 8 hours or until the tomatoes are dried and have lost all of their moisture. Heat oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic, remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Increase the heat in the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the bread on both sides with the garlic oil. Place a slice of tomato on each piece of bread, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some of the oregano. Bake in the oven for 5 to10 minutes, until the bread is lightly golden brown.

SPANISH BURGERS WITH MANCHEGO AND CHORIZO HASH BROWNS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat then add chorizo.
• While chorizo is rendering and browning, peel onion. Place meat in a mixing bowl. Grate a few tablespoons of onion directly over the meat. Quarter the remainder of the onion and thinly slice.
• Add potatoes and onions to the chorizo. Season the hash browns with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Once the potatoes are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes, flip them and press them down with a spatula to crisp them, continue to cook 7 to 8 minutes more.
• To the sirloin, add parsley, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix the burgers to combine and form 4 large patties. Create an indentation in each burger using the heal of your hand to counter the burger at the center that happens to burgers as they cook - your burgers will be nice and flat for topping if you use this trick!
• Heat the remaining extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers to the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare burgers and up to 6 to 7 minutes on each side for well done. Melt manchego cheese, 2 thin slices on each burger, the last 2 minutes they are in the pan. Tent the skillet with loose foil to trap enough heat to melt the cheese.
• Place pequillo peppers in food processor and add hot sauce, salt and pepper. Process the peppers into a smooth paste.
• To assemble, place burgers on bun bottoms and top with sliced red onion, cucumber and tomato. Slather the bun tops with pepper paste and set into place. Serve crispy hash browns with chorizo along side.

CHORIZO AND POTATO SPANISH TORTILLA BITES

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 13- by 9-inch baking pan or dish.
• Finely chop white and green parts of scallions and reserve separately.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, white parts of scallions, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Add chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown and release oil, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate, then stir in potatoes and cover skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool slightly.
• Whisk together eggs, sour cream, cheese, scallion greens, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then pour into baking pan. Sprinkle potato mixture over eggs (some potatoes will stick out). Bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack to warm or room temperature. Trim 1/2 inch off each side, then cut tortilla into 1 1/2- by 1-inch rectangles.

SPANISH-STYLE OXTAILS BRAISED WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat oxtails dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown oxtails in batches without crowding, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer as browned to a bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.
• Remove and discard casing from chorizo, then finely chop sausage in food processor.
• Cook chorizo, onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf in fat in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add oxtails with any juices accumulated in bowl and chopped tomatoes (liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat) and bring to a boil.
• Cover pot and braise oxtails in lower third of oven, turning once or twice, until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim fat from sauce, then stir in parsley, cilantro, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

SPANISH EGGS WITH CHORIZO & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Steam the potatoes for 15-20 mins or until cooked.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onions and peppers, then cook for about 10 mins until soft. Push the peppers to the side of the pan and add the chorizo, sizzling until cooked though and releasing its oils. Transfer to a plate.
• Once cool enough, halve the potatoes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in another non-stick pan and tip in the spuds. Fry for about 10 mins until golden and beginning to crisp. Stir in the onion mix, heat through and season.
• Meanwhile, in the onion pan, fry the eggs to your liking. Place them on top of everything, allowing 1 egg per person.

SPANISH-STYLE SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH CHORIZO AND MANCHEGO FRICOS

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Cook, shaking pan occasionally to assure an even distribution of cheese over the pan bottom, until the edges are lacy and toasted, about four minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and allow cheese to set for about 30 seconds. Use a large heatproof spatula and tongs to carefully flip frico over and cook until the other side is golden, another two minutes. Slide frico out of the pan and onto a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining cheese and let stand while you prepare the eggs.
• Cut chorizo into half-inch dice. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat and add chorizo. Once the fat from the chorizo has started to render, after about a minute, add onion and stir. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and onion and chorizo have browned slightly. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
• Whisk eggs to break up yolks and add to skillet. Add parsley to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom often (this yields a soft, fluffy texture). Spoon scrambled onto plates and season to taste with pepper and salt (keep in mind that fricos are salty and chorizo is peppery). Break fricos into approximately 3-inch pieces and serve with eggs.

SPANISH ROAST CHICKEN, CHORIZO AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place potatoes with 2 of the lemons into pot of boiling wate for 5 minutes. Drain, then prick the lemons all over with a knife. (You will be putting these inside the chicken and the heat from them will help the chicken to cook quicker from the inside as well as making it taste and smell wonderful.).
• Remove the parsley leaves from the stalks and save the leaves to use later. Stuff the chicken with the hot lemons and the stalks of the parsley.
• Season the chicken and the potatoes with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Slice the chorizo at an angle, 1/4 inch thick.
• Oil a roasting pan and lay the potatoes in the center, then place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the chorizo and a few of the parsley leaves (leaving the rest of the leaves for part of the finishing garnish). Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil. Take a piece of wax paper (large enough to cover your roasting pan) and wet it so it becomes flexible, then shake it out and lay it over the top of the ingredients in the baking pan, tucking it in snugly so the juices don't escape (Don't plaster it tightly against the chicken or it will stick - tent and tuck.) Cook in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, finely chop the zest of your 2 remaining lemons, the parsley leaves and the garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss together to create a seasoning-type garnish.
• Remove the pan from the oven, take chicken out and put to one side to rest. Give the potatoes a shake and put them back in the oven for a few more minutes to crisp up. I set the oven to broil for this part, so the potatoes would crisp faster. Just keep an eye on them.
• Carve the chicken and divide between 4 plates, with the potatoes and chorizo. The potatoes will have taken on the smoky flavor from the chorizo, so if there is any juice left in the pan, pour every bit over the plates. Sprinkle over the seasoning garnish (when it hits the hot juice, it will smell fabulous).

CHICKEN & CHORIZO SPANISH ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Brown the chorizo in a large skillet; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve two tablespoons rendered fat from the pan and add bell peppers, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Saute until browned and softened, about five minutes.
• Add the bay leaf, paprika, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Cook til fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce and simmer to thicken the sauce, about 15 minutes.
• Pour about one-third to one-half of the sauce into a large casserole dish.
• Combine the cooled down chorizo with the chicken and half the cheese. Wrap the filling inside the charred tortillas and arrange in a casserole dish, cover with the remaining sauce and cheese.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the enchiladas until hot through and brown and bubbly, 15 minutes.

CHORIZO SPANISH RICE

Steps:

• Heat oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir to coat with oil. Add broth and water, then peas and onions; stir to mix. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juices, olives, and marjoram. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

SPANISH-STYLE CHORIZO AND SHRIMP QUESADILLA WITH CHIMICHURRI

Steps:

• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add chorizo and shrimp and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add sliced garlic and toss. Add piquillos and sherry or wine and let it absorb. Add juice of 1/2 lemon and turn off heat.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Spray the tortillas or skillet lightly with oil. Blister a tortilla and flip. Top the tortilla with a layer of the shredded cheeses. Arrange chorizo and shrimp on half the quesadilla and fold over. Press with a spatula to set, turn a few times to melt the cheese and remove to a cutting board.
• To a food processor bowl, add shallots, crushed garlic, 1/4 cup EVOO, vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, cilantro, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Pulse to process into sauce.
• Cut quesadilla into wedges and arrange on platter with dollops of chimichurri, Greek yogurt or creme fraiche and pickled sliced jalapeno peppers.