Chorizo, Chickpea & Chimichurri
It is 4pm, as I write this and 10c outside and it is two weeks before summer. Very bizarre weather we are experiencing here in Melbourne, Australia. Maybe I should begin planning for a white Christmas….
Chorizo, for those who do not know, is a sausage of Spanish origin but also found in Central and South America. It can be made with beef and/ or pork and contains olive oil, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. There are as many varieties, as there are towns in Spain, and is available dried or fresh. The dried version is more like a salami and unsuitable for the following recipe. You need the fresh version here. Chorizo is tastier than any Italian cotechino or French Toulouse sausage, I have tried. Buy your chorizo from a Spanish deli or a Latin American butcher.
Chimichurri is a South American condiment made from oil, vinegar, garlic and fresh parsley. It is similar to Italian salsa verde. Most versions I have tried are made with malt vinegar and a tasteless vegetable oil. I honestly do not care much for either of these products, and as they have no place in my kitchen (okay, I do fry in vegetable oil sometimes), I substitute red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. It is rather piquant and best served in small quantities. Chimichurri is traditionally served with barbequed meat, but marries especially well with chorizo. It will keep indefinitely, covered in the fridge. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a quick mix before eating. Serve with any plain grilled or roasted meat or use it to marinate meat before cooking.
Ingredients
400 g fresh chorizo (chorizo come in many sizes. Mine were thick and weighed 200g each)
1 tsp lard or oil
400g can Italian chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the chimichurri
250ml extra virgin olive oil
60ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli paste (I used my own homemade roasted chilli paste. But you can substitute fresh or dried chilli)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or to taste. Actually it is traditional to add about 6 cloves or more, but I do not wish to smell like raw garlic for a week after)
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp dried greek oregano
1 large bunch of parsley leaves, finely chopped.
1 tsp of sugar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Method.
The first thing you need to do is mix all the ingredients for the chimichurri in a glass bowl and leave to rest. That is it. I know the list of ingredients looks daunting, but there is not much involved, other than chopping the parsley.
Melt the lard in a wide saucepan and quickly sear the chorizo until browned, about 1 minute for each side.
Chorizo, for those who do not know, is a sausage of Spanish origin but also found in Central and South America. It can be made with beef and/ or pork and contains olive oil, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. There are as many varieties, as there are towns in Spain, and is available dried or fresh. The dried version is more like a salami and unsuitable for the following recipe. You need the fresh version here. Chorizo is tastier than any Italian cotechino or French Toulouse sausage, I have tried. Buy your chorizo from a Spanish deli or a Latin American butcher.
Chimichurri is a South American condiment made from oil, vinegar, garlic and fresh parsley. It is similar to Italian salsa verde. Most versions I have tried are made with malt vinegar and a tasteless vegetable oil. I honestly do not care much for either of these products, and as they have no place in my kitchen (okay, I do fry in vegetable oil sometimes), I substitute red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. It is rather piquant and best served in small quantities. Chimichurri is traditionally served with barbequed meat, but marries especially well with chorizo. It will keep indefinitely, covered in the fridge. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a quick mix before eating. Serve with any plain grilled or roasted meat or use it to marinate meat before cooking.
Ingredients
400 g fresh chorizo (chorizo come in many sizes. Mine were thick and weighed 200g each)
1 tsp lard or oil
400g can Italian chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the chimichurri
250ml extra virgin olive oil
60ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli paste (I used my own homemade roasted chilli paste. But you can substitute fresh or dried chilli)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or to taste. Actually it is traditional to add about 6 cloves or more, but I do not wish to smell like raw garlic for a week after)
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp dried greek oregano
1 large bunch of parsley leaves, finely chopped.
1 tsp of sugar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Method.
The first thing you need to do is mix all the ingredients for the chimichurri in a glass bowl and leave to rest. That is it. I know the list of ingredients looks daunting, but there is not much involved, other than chopping the parsley.
Melt the lard in a wide saucepan and quickly sear the chorizo until browned, about 1 minute for each side.
Splash in about 100ml water and reduce the heat to lowest.
Put the lid on and cook your chorizo. The time will depend on the size of your chorizo. Mine were large and needed an hour. Smaller chorizo may need only 20 minutes. Adjust accordingly.
Turn them from time to time and make sure the pan is not drying out and burning.
Remove the chorizo, and keep warm.
Deglaze the pan with some water, dissolving all the brown bits stuck to the pan. The juices in the pan will be red.
Add the chickpeas and heat gently for 10 minutes, to allow the chickpeas to absord some of the juices.
Strain away the remaining juices (they will be too salty) and serve with the chorizo, sliced into coins and the chimichurri, dribbled over.
Serves 2 people. This dish can be very easily doubled.
