Breakfast at 2?
So today was one of those wake up, work, go back to bed, wake up, work, make breakfast days. Casting about for a non-oat option, I finally gave in and used the rest of C's "Trader Joe's Spicy Chicken Chorizo" as she'd been asking. Like the giant rat, I ate it so you didn't have to.
I was skeptical that this was going to work out to begin with, as I didn't have any potatoes. Further, I was leery of the product itself, as the first step of cooking with chorizo is always to render it. I don't care how many chicken thighs you use, you're going to have a hard time getting enough fat into chicken chorizo to produce the orange grease that tells you it's going to be good (OG*).
Long story short, I had to add oil to the pan before sauteing the onions. It was good that there were no potatoes, as there was no flavorful OG for them to absorb, let alone extra that needed to be removed from the pan. It didn't even break down very well, leaving fairly large nuggets. And most tellingly, it was "white people spicy."
I know white people spicy. My family is from Ohio. I get that problem a lot, Chinese restaurants trying to give me a fork, Indian places who don't note my spot-on pronunciation bring me mild, etc. This was white people spicy.
Let's face it, chorizo is a dietary splurge. You can pour off the fat until you're comfortable with the final product. But you can't force flavor into the meat that isn't there. Next time I'm going with the real thing. It's been too long since I made tortillas anyhow.
*You know I'm right. It's not good chorizo if it's not a little greasy. It's not a good tamale if it's not a little greasy. That's where the flavor lives.
On an unrelated note, it's been two full days, and there's still snow on the ground and ice in the street. That was OK when I lived in New England, but in Seattle this is wholly inappropriate.
I was skeptical that this was going to work out to begin with, as I didn't have any potatoes. Further, I was leery of the product itself, as the first step of cooking with chorizo is always to render it. I don't care how many chicken thighs you use, you're going to have a hard time getting enough fat into chicken chorizo to produce the orange grease that tells you it's going to be good (OG*).
Long story short, I had to add oil to the pan before sauteing the onions. It was good that there were no potatoes, as there was no flavorful OG for them to absorb, let alone extra that needed to be removed from the pan. It didn't even break down very well, leaving fairly large nuggets. And most tellingly, it was "white people spicy."
I know white people spicy. My family is from Ohio. I get that problem a lot, Chinese restaurants trying to give me a fork, Indian places who don't note my spot-on pronunciation bring me mild, etc. This was white people spicy.
Let's face it, chorizo is a dietary splurge. You can pour off the fat until you're comfortable with the final product. But you can't force flavor into the meat that isn't there. Next time I'm going with the real thing. It's been too long since I made tortillas anyhow.
*You know I'm right. It's not good chorizo if it's not a little greasy. It's not a good tamale if it's not a little greasy. That's where the flavor lives.
On an unrelated note, it's been two full days, and there's still snow on the ground and ice in the street. That was OK when I lived in New England, but in Seattle this is wholly inappropriate.