Fresh Mexican chorizo for Cinco de Mayo and some uses
It turns out there are 2 kinds of chorizo with different tastes and methods of preparation/use ... a dry, cured Spanish chorizo sausage, which can be sliced and eaten as is, and a fresh Mexican chorizo (either loose or in a casing), which needs to be cooked first. It is the latter kind that you find in the famous Queso flameado (flamed cheese), also called Queso fundido (molten cheese). I did NOT know that. :)
In restaurants the cheese remains liquid enough be spooned into your warmed flour tortillas for some time but, at home, my melted cheese seems to solidify rock hard in a very short time after removal from the oven, even when transported in the hot metal dish in which it was prepared. At least it did in the first version I ever tried to make. Recipes on the web say you can use a melting cheese like Oxaca (also apparently called asadero depending on its shape) ... or if you're not south of the US border but to its north, as I am, mozzarella works too, or Monterey Jack.
If you can't find any fresh Mexican chorizo in your neighbourhood grocery store, make your own.
Making Mexican chorizo - extra lean ground pork and the chili and spice mixture
Mexican chorizo - 2 packages ready for the freezer or your stove ... cause I doubled the recipe :)
Mexican chorizo- makes about 1 1/2 pounds
1 pound of ground pork (as lean as you wish, in my case it was extra lean)
3 dried guajillo chile peppers
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked paprika)
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt (start with about 1 1/2 tsp and add more if needed after tasting the small portion you fried up)
Rinse the guajillo peppers, remove the stems, break open and remove the seeds. In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
After chiles are moist and soft, drain the water and place the chiles and vinegar in a blender, also adding the diced onion and chopped garlic. (You can add the spices and salt at this step as I did.) Puree until a smooth, bright red paste is formed (you may add a splash of water or vinegar if it's too dry to blend). It will look like ketchup.
Add the chile puree to the ground pork, along with the rest of the spices and salt. Mix well. To test the flavors, pinch off a small piece and fry it up in a skillet for a minute or so. Taste it and add more salt and spices if needed.
Let sit overnight in the refrigerator, so the flavours meld thoroughly, before using or freeze until needed.
Queso flameado
Spoon onto a warmed flour tortilla and eat as quickly as possible. :)
Recipe: In a small baking dish, layer a shallow mixture of grated regular Monterey Jack and/or Monterey Jack with jalapeno, sprinkle some cooked Mexican chorizo in the middle and bake in a 350 deg F oven until the cheese is melted and bubbles. Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas.
Quesadilla with chorizo
Recipe: Note that amounts are estimates and vary depending on the size of your flour tortillas and your personal preference as to how full you want your quesadilla to be.
Spread a flour tortilla with a heaping tablespoon or so of guacamole, then sprinkle over a few tablespoons of grated Monterey jack with jalapeno and 1-2 tablespoon of cooked chorizo. Cover with a second tortilla, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 deg F for 5 minutes, turn over and bake for another 5 minutes. Slice into halves or 8 wedges and serve with your favourite Mexican rice and refried beans or combine black beans and rice into a single great dish.
In restaurants the cheese remains liquid enough be spooned into your warmed flour tortillas for some time but, at home, my melted cheese seems to solidify rock hard in a very short time after removal from the oven, even when transported in the hot metal dish in which it was prepared. At least it did in the first version I ever tried to make. Recipes on the web say you can use a melting cheese like Oxaca (also apparently called asadero depending on its shape) ... or if you're not south of the US border but to its north, as I am, mozzarella works too, or Monterey Jack.
If you can't find any fresh Mexican chorizo in your neighbourhood grocery store, make your own.
Making Mexican chorizo - extra lean ground pork and the chili and spice mixture
Mexican chorizo - 2 packages ready for the freezer or your stove ... cause I doubled the recipe :)
Mexican chorizo- makes about 1 1/2 pounds
1 pound of ground pork (as lean as you wish, in my case it was extra lean)
3 dried guajillo chile peppers
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked paprika)
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt (start with about 1 1/2 tsp and add more if needed after tasting the small portion you fried up)
Rinse the guajillo peppers, remove the stems, break open and remove the seeds. In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
After chiles are moist and soft, drain the water and place the chiles and vinegar in a blender, also adding the diced onion and chopped garlic. (You can add the spices and salt at this step as I did.) Puree until a smooth, bright red paste is formed (you may add a splash of water or vinegar if it's too dry to blend). It will look like ketchup.
Add the chile puree to the ground pork, along with the rest of the spices and salt. Mix well. To test the flavors, pinch off a small piece and fry it up in a skillet for a minute or so. Taste it and add more salt and spices if needed.
Let sit overnight in the refrigerator, so the flavours meld thoroughly, before using or freeze until needed.
Queso flameado
Spoon onto a warmed flour tortilla and eat as quickly as possible. :)
Recipe: In a small baking dish, layer a shallow mixture of grated regular Monterey Jack and/or Monterey Jack with jalapeno, sprinkle some cooked Mexican chorizo in the middle and bake in a 350 deg F oven until the cheese is melted and bubbles. Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas.
Quesadilla with chorizo
Recipe: Note that amounts are estimates and vary depending on the size of your flour tortillas and your personal preference as to how full you want your quesadilla to be.
Spread a flour tortilla with a heaping tablespoon or so of guacamole, then sprinkle over a few tablespoons of grated Monterey jack with jalapeno and 1-2 tablespoon of cooked chorizo. Cover with a second tortilla, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 deg F for 5 minutes, turn over and bake for another 5 minutes. Slice into halves or 8 wedges and serve with your favourite Mexican rice and refried beans or combine black beans and rice into a single great dish.