Month: August 2015

Lamb and Goat Chorizo? ¡Por que no!

Manuel Ornelas and Maria Marquez from Tierra del Sol Farms in Ft. Hancock are at the Farmer’s Market every weekend with wonderful lamb and goat raised and processed at the farm. A couple of weeks ago, I tried their lamb chorizo and loved it. Last Saturday, I got a packet of their goat chorizo and am now hard pressed to choose one over the other as a favorite.

The meat is ground and has a texture similar to ground beef. It is like the bulk chorizo I prefer when I buy it.  There is no comparing it with the red mystery stuff in a plastic tube we think of when we hear the word “chorizo”. Mexican chorizo is traditionally a pork sausage highly seasoned with garlic, chile and other spices. Spanish chorizo is sometimes made with smoked pork. There are also hard chorizo sausages. Casings should be removed and the sausage crumbled as it cooks.

First I tested each variety of chorizos with scrambled eggs in a basic breakfast burrito. Both are very lean.  You can get either in link form or bulk form. They are well seasoned and have enough kick to make this Texican happy. There is a difference in the flavors of lamb and goat.

Next, I experiment.  I made a thick white sauce and added the lamb chorizo. The sauce held the crumbled browned chorizo on a sandwich topped with a fried egg and cheese. Not too creative, but very good!

It was egg and goat burritos for the first test of the goat chorizo. It looked a lot like he lamb burrito above, but it did taste different.

I had found a recipe called Loaded Black Bean Nachos with Red and Green Salsas that sounded very good. One of the salsas was a tomatillo/avocado/jalapeño and lime concoction that prompted me to try the recipe. I usually advocate trying a recipe as published, then modifying it to make it your own. Test run nachos? I thought I could skip that step and make my own version.  I am publishing the original recipe under the Recipes category because it is pretty lengthy.   It takes a little chopping, but is not as difficult as you might think, especially if you use and electric mini-chopper. And there is enough of the salsas left over for dipping or another treat the next day. The original recipe was vegetarian and I had to make a little more carnivorian (I think I just invented a new word!)

My adaptations to the original was adding cooked and crumbled goat chorizo to the black bean mix and using blue corn tortilla chips instead of yellow for the nacho base. I also used more jalapeños than the recipe called for. I made two layers of tostadas, bean mixture and the cheeses on a foil lined sheet pan and baked it in a preheated 425º oven for about 7 minutes to warm up the beans and melt the cheeses. Out of the oven and topped with the two salsas – tomatillo/avocado and a pico de gallo given a new dimension with chopped fresh oregano.

I’ll be making these nachos again.  I can see making it a little wetter as casserole as a side dish, perhaps.  I do expect I’ll be putting some packets of goat chorizo in the freezer for when the urge hits.

Who doesn’t love a green chile cheeseburger? Everyone has a favorite way of making them.  I like to use telera rolls spread with spicy mustard and mayonnaise, leaf lettuce and tomato slices, a lean beef patty cooked medium rare, and sharp cheddar cheese. Of course it is all topped with a generous two or more tablespoons of chopped green chile. When I served the burgers, I realized I’d forgotten to slice the Texas 1015 sweet onion (They are optimally planted on Oct. 15, not just because that is my birthday). I’d bought the onion just for the sandwiches.  I guess I’ll have to make them again pretty soon and remember it next time!

I like the telera rolls for a change.  They are what make Mexican tortas (sandwiches) so special.

My favorite potato salad this summer is smashed baby potatoes with a mustardy vinaigrette and thinly sliced jalapeño or serrano chiles.  I usually cook three baby potatoes per serving to reduce  carb consumption and satisfy that occasional potato craving. I roast them sometimes or boil or even microwave them at other times. Roasted is best, but August is not the time of year to fire up the oven for six baby potatoes. I’m including the original recipe in this post, it can be reduced or expanded easily.  I do make a full recipe of the dressing so I’ll have some left over for salmon, or a ham sandwich with Swiss cheese!

Smashed Baby Potatoes with Jalapeños

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby or fingerling potatoes, halved crosswise if large.

1/C olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1 jalapeno, sliced into thin rounds, seeds removed if desired.

1/4 C (lightly packed) torn flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss potatoes with 1/4 C  oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender – 30 – 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, the lightly flatten (I give them a little punch with my fist to flatten and crack the hole the skins.)

While the potatoes cook, whisk vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 1/4 oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper.  Add potatoes, jalapeño and parsley and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes:

I like to mix red and white baby potatoes. You could add purple potatoes for the 4th of July, but they cook faster than the red and while ones.

I use a hand held mandoline on its thinnest setting to make lots of little slices. Feel free to add more jalapeño or serrano chile slices up the heat if you wish.

I’ve made this salad both with and without the parsley  It is delicious either way.