One of my most requested and popular recipes is Queso Flameado, which happens to be made with Chorizo. Often, the most obvious things get overlooked, and this is the case with this chorizo recipe - I’m not exactly sure why I have never shared it here, but I am doing something about it right now.
This recipe is very special. It was given to me many, many years ago, when I was still living in Mexico. I was about to leave to get married and at the time, I was going directly to Germany to join my soon-to-be husband. In 1986 that was a very far place, since we did not have the ease of communication we have now. Back then we had long distance calls and real letters, so a place across the ocean felt extremely far. As you may imagine, the cooking the food of my beloved Mexico was so important because it helped to keep me connected to my family and my homeland. It was then that my real education on cooking started, and this recipe has been part of my repertoire since then.
My maternal grandmother’s youngest sister, Tía Irene, was widowed and was left with 5 young children to raise, so she would help herself by making and selling chorizo. She was generous and kind and did not hesitate to give me her recipe. Over the years, I have tweaked it somewhat, since ingredients vary (for example, a vinegar from Mexico will not taste the same as one made in Canada, since they are made from different ingredients), but it is very close to the original one. This recipe is one of my daughter’s favourites, especially when it comes to using it for making Queso Flameado. I usually make a large batch and give most of it away so they can enjoy it.
The ingredients in this recipe are easy to find, though you may need to go to a Latin American store to buy dried ancho chiles and Mexican oregano. If you want, you can throw in a guajillo chile to the mix, it would be delicious. Rehydrate the chiles in water with the vinegar until completely soft, then blend thoroughly with the garlic, spices and salt. It is imperative you let this chile spice paste cool completely (I like to spread it out in a large bowl and wait until it is cold). If you add the warm paste to the pork it will spoil and you don’t want to waste all your ingredients. This recipe makes over a kilo of chorizo, which I divide into portions and wrap individually and freeze to have it available at a moment’s notice.
Use this chorizo to make queso flameado, papas con chorizo and eggs with chorizo, among many other things!
CHORIZO NORESTENSE DE LA TIA IRENE
Aunt Irene’s Northeastern Mexican Sausage
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
5 ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed (meat only - 50g)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns (10g)
1 Tbsp whole cumin (8g)
1 heaping Tbsp Mexican oregano (4g)
1 head garlic, peeled (50g)
1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (15g) (1/2 Tbsp if using table salt)
1 kg ground pork
Rinse ancho chiles, remove the seeds and stems and place in a saucepan with the vinegar and water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn heat to low to simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, or at least 15 minutes, until the chiles are completely rehydrated and soft.
Using mortar and pestle or spice mill, grind peppercorns, cumin and Mexican oregano. Add salt and set aside.
Remove the chiles from the vinegar and water mixture and place in blender jar. Reserve chile soaking liquid.
Add garlic, peppercorns, cumin, Mexican oregano and salt. Process until you have a completely smooth paste, adding a bit of the chile soaking liquid at a time to make the blending process easier. Paste should be fairly dense, but blender blade should be able to move easily. You may need to add up to 1/4 cup of liquid.
Let this chile spice paste cool completely before adding to the pork.
Using gloves, mix chile paste with the meat, making sure it is evenly distributed. Shape meat into small patties. Wrap each patty individually and place in fridge overnight to let the chorizo blend flavours. Use what you need and freeze the rest.
Makes about 15 portions.