Breakfast 2023

[blue_dolphin]

A late (10 AM) breakfast and I suppose an odd choice except that I've been wanting to try this but am not in the mood once it gets hot so breakfast it was!

Halibut with chorizo, tomatoes, olives & sherry from From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry. 

I don't suppose anyone else wants this for breakfast, but if you're looking for a fish dish that comes together very easily, it's a good one.  Put the veg in the oven to start cooking while you make the fresh bread crumb topping for the fish, toss in some olives, cook everything together for a bit and it's done! 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by blue_dolphin (log)

[heidih]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

A late (10 AM) breakfast and I suppose an odd choice except that I've been wanting to try this but am not in the mood once it gets hot so breakfast it was!

Halibut with chorizo, tomatoes, olives & sherry from From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry. 

I don't suppose anyone else wants this for breakfast, but if you're looking for a fish dish that comes together very easily, it's a good one.  Put the veg in the oven to start cooking while you make the fresh bread crumb topping for the fish, toss in some olives, cook everything together for a bit and it's done! 

 

I'm in. To be clear, because of where I live, chorizo in my mind is the Mexican prodct, but you are usng the cured Spanish?

[blue_dolphin]

50 minutes ago, heidih said:

I'm in. To be clear, because of where I live, chorizo in my mind is the Mexican prodct, but you are usng the cured Spanish?

 

Yes.  I think Mexican chorizo could work, you just want some thing that's going to release some flavorful fat to help roast the potatoes.   That said, with the olives and sherry, it's definitely a Spanish style dish, the bread crumb crust is seasoned with lemon zest, garlic, parsley and smoked paprika. It calls for "cooking chorizo," like this, softer and moister than the most common cured Spanish style chorizo that I see in local stores.  I thought I had some in the freezer but it failed to reveal itself during my search so I used firm cured Spanish chorizo but cut the slices on the thick side. 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by blue_dolphin
to add link (log)

[MaryIsobel]

4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

A late (10 AM) breakfast and I suppose an odd choice except that I've been wanting to try this but am not in the mood once it gets hot so breakfast it was!

Halibut with chorizo, tomatoes, olives & sherry from From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry. 

I don't suppose anyone else wants this for breakfast, but if you're looking for a fish dish that comes together very easily, it's a good one.  Put the veg in the oven to start cooking while you make the fresh bread crumb topping for the fish, toss in some olives, cook everything together for a bit and it's done! 

 

That looks fabulous! What are the green spheres? Tomatillos?

 

[blue_dolphin]

Just now, MaryIsobel said:

That looks fabulous! What are the green spheres? Tomatillos?

 

Thanks!  They are olives. Big Castelvetranos. 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Egg, bacon, pepper jack and green onion on a toasted WW English muffin. With tomatoes, V8 and peaches and cherries.

 

[C. sapidus]

 

Eggs with chorizo, tomato, roasted Poblano chile strips, white onion, garlic, serrano chile, and cilantro.

 

Younger son's reaction: "Holy sh*t that's good." 

 

I am on a quest for good crumbly chorizo. This was not it, but the flavor was good.

[blue_dolphin]

16 minutes ago, C. sapidus said:

I am on a quest for good crumbly chorizo. This was not it, but the flavor was good.

That is making me so hungry!

Have you tried the recipe for Grandma Alice's Chipotle Chorizo from Josef Centeno’s book Amá?  It’s excellent. I need to make another batch soon. 

[C. sapidus]

50 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

That is making me so hungry!

Have you tried the recipe for Grandma Alice's Chipotle Chorizo from Josef Centeno’s book Amá?  It’s excellent. I need to make another batch soon. 

 

Thank you!

 

Unfortunately Grandma Alice's Chipotle Chorizo is hidden behind a paywall, but I did find a few other chorizo recipes that look promising. One used ground pork and no sausage casings (longaniza?), which sounds more likely to happen.

 

But I still prefer finding a brand I like that is available locally.

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by C. sapidus
Splelnig (log)

[heidih]

1 hour ago, C. sapidus said:

I am on a quest for good crumbly chorizo. This was not it, but the flavor was good.

I know what you are looking for as I've enjoyed it but have no brand to offer. Longaniza is a more Filipino flavor round here. The crumby chorizo I have eaten was similarin both Ensenada, MX and here locally so must be a common product. Never hurts to ask at a Mexican restaurant whose food you enjoy. Though  from what I see you are a Mexican home cook  

[C. sapidus]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

Never hurts to ask at a Mexican restaurant whose food you enjoy. Though  from what I see you are a Mexican home cook  

 

Thanks! One of my first cookbooks was Diana Kennedy's 'The Art of Mexican Cooking'.  😊

 

Around here most Latino immigrants are from Central and South America rather than Mexico. This yields excellent tamales and tons of pupusas y tacos places, but unfortunately good Mexican restaurants are few and far between.

 

 

[gfweb]

On 7/16/2023 at 10:05 AM, Duvel said:

With my parents visiting, I do stray a bit from my usual weekend routine: My father asked if we could have “that breakfast we had in Dublin” (many years ago). Had to improvise a bit, but …

 

 

Made him happy 🤗

 

 

 

 

Did you let it get cold before serving?

For realism.

 

[gfweb]

19 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

 

I am on a quest for good crumbly chorizo. This was not it, but the flavor was good.

 

I've found that you need to cook the hell out of Mexican chorizo before it will get crumbly.  Problem is when it loses all the fat, so goes the flavor.

 

You could fry potatoes in it though.

[heidih]

3 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

I've found that you need to cook the hell out of Mexican chorizo before it will get crumbly.  Problem is when it loses all the fat, so goes the flavor.

 

You could fry potatoes in it though.

Good point. I've seen the cooks do it on the flat top so maybe that intense orange grease flavored other items But the chorizo I ate was still delightfully flavorful. Warning: never cook chorizo for 2 drunk guys at 2am and be left with a pan of eggs mixed with mostly orange grease. They passed out...

Edited July 31, 2023 by heidih (log)

[rotuts]

i love Mexican chorizo.

 

I always added the oil/fat w the cooked chorizo 

 

to where ever it was su[pposed to go .

 

oddly , TJ;s has a vegetarian chorizo 

 

https://vegnews.com/products/trader-joes-vegan-chorizo-hall-of-fame

 

its quite good when crisped up.   not oily

 

which may or may not be gpod.  that oil is very tasty 

 

and its dependably available @ TJ's

 

mexican pork chorizo in my area is very hard to find if not impossible.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

mexican pork chorizo in my area is very hard to find if not impossible.

If you can get fresh ground pork, Mexican chorizo is very easy to make.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

 

mexican pork chorizo in my area is very hard to find if not impossible.

 

Its everywhere here. Even in the supermarkets, although  you need to go to the Mexican groceries to get  the good stuff.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

you need to go to the Mexican groceries to get  the good stuff

The good Mexican stuff has a lot more fat, stronger spices, and probably a lot of stuff you don't want to know about. But yes, it is much more flavorful.

[rotuts]

@gfweb 

 

pleased you have so many choices .  

 

I had those in CA while visiting my father .

 

do you favor the chorizo where the first ingredient is ' pork'

 

or ' pork lymph nodes '

 

no joke .  same processor 

 

lymph  node was 30 - 40 % cheaper 

 

and pork was less than 2.50 USD a lbs.

[blue_dolphin]

That TJ's soy chorizo is really salty.  I've made my own veg version with tofu and mushrooms and the seasonings called for in the Amá chorizo recipe. it's not bad, though I prefer the real porky thing.  

I'm going to give the ingredients for the Amá version that's my go-to.  As @Tropicalsenior says, it is a LOT of spices compared with most other sausages I've made. 

 

1.5 lbs ground pork belly or ground pork shoulder

Toast the following:

1 T cumin seed

1 t coriander seed 

3 whole cloves

and grind them together with 2 dried bay leaves

1 T chipotle chile powder

2 T Amá spice mix (basically a mix of all your chiles, toasted and ground with a little salt. The recipe calls for 8 arbol, 5 guajillo, 5 New Mexico, 5 chipotles, 4 chiles negro, 4 mulato, 4 pasilla de Oaxaca , 4 cascabel and 1 t salt) 

2 T sweet paprika

1 t sea salt

1 t black pepper

1/2 t oregano Indio

1/2 t dried thyme

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 large garlic clove, grated

3 T apple cider vinegar

 

You basically just mix all the spices together and work them into the pork along with the garlic and vinegar, ideally let the mix sit O/N in the fridge to meld the flavors, and then cook it up 'til crispy and fat is rendered.  Use right away, fridge for a few days or freezer for longer term. 

 

 

[MaryIsobel]

31 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

That TJ's soy chorizo is really salty.  I've made my own veg version with tofu and mushrooms and the seasonings called for in the Amá chorizo recipe. it's not bad, though I prefer the real porky thing.  

I'm going to give the ingredients for the Amá version that's my go-to.  As @Tropicalsenior says, it is a LOT of spices compared with most other sausages I've made. 

 

1.5 lbs ground pork belly or ground pork shoulder

Toast the following:

1 T cumin seed

1 t coriander seed 

3 whole cloves

and grind them together with 2 dried bay leaves

1 T chipotle chile powder

2 T Amá spice mix (basically a mix of all your chiles, toasted and ground with a little salt. The recipe calls for 8 arbol, 5 guajillo, 5 New Mexico, 5 chipotles, 4 chiles negro, 4 mulato, 4 pasilla de Oaxaca , 4 cascabel and 1 t salt) 

2 T sweet paprika

1 t sea salt

1 t black pepper

1/2 t oregano Indio

1/2 t dried thyme

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 large garlic clove, grated

3 T apple cider vinegar

 

You basically just mix all the spices together and work them into the pork along with the garlic and vinegar, ideally let the mix sit O/N in the fridge to meld the flavors, and then cook it up 'til crispy and fat is rendered.  Use right away, fridge for a few days or freezer for longer term. 

 

 

I'd like to give that a try. I still have my Mom's old meat grinder that clamps on the edge of the counter. I have been perusing the dried peppers here and plan to replenish my stock at home and then some. The only one I don't recall seeing was the cascabel. I just look it up and apparently it is also called chile bola, so I'll look for that.

[Tropicalsenior]

44 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

2 T Amá spice mix

The recipe sounds great to me but I do have a question. Do the spices that follow the mix of peppers go into the spice mix or go into the chorizo? For anyone wanting to make their own chorizo, if you find a recipe that does not have the vinegar, pass. I usually freeze the extra raw in 3 oz portions. Then I can add it in however I like. The little snack size bags are great for this.

 

I don't have access to all the dried chili peppers but I do have a big supply of New Mexico ground pepper. I usually just use that.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[blue_dolphin]

24 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Do the spices that follow the mix of peppers go into the spice mix or go into the chorizo?

 

The list of chiles in parentheses plus 1 t salt become the Amá spice mix and 2T of that goes into the chorizo, along with all the other ingredients listed. Sorry it was unclear.

I'm sure it's not necessary to use all those chiles but I have to say that I enjoy the complexity and I use that mix wherever red chili flakes are called for. 

[Tropicalsenior]

10 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I'm sure it's not necessary to use all those chiles but I have to say that I enjoy the complexity and I use that mix wherever red chili flakes are called for

Strange as it may seem, Costa Rica does not have a culture of using any hot peppers other than green jalapenos, Serranos and habaneros. A couple years ago I asked my daughter-in-law to bring me a little package of New Mexican red chili powder. She brought me a kilo.

[Deephaven]

On 7/31/2023 at 1:38 PM, blue_dolphin said:

As @Tropicalsenior says, it is a LOT of spices compared with most other sausages I've made. 

Interesting that it also leaves out what I've always felt was the most critical flavor in Mexican chorizo, the ancho or dried poblano.  Of course, modernizing what is great in Mexico sounds fun.  Going to give the Ama a shot.