Chorizo with prawns

As we promised last Wednesday, today we are going to tell you how to make one of the most appetizing tapas recipes: Chorizo with prawns.

You know that chorizo is a spicy cured sausage, typically Spanish, so this recipe is going to be quite hot.

Photo: http://bit.ly/QqS5qU

Ingredients: 

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon olive oil (we recommed Spanish oil)
• 300g Spanish Chorizo by Antonio Mata
• Coarse salt (or sea salt)
• 50ml dry sherry 
• 8 medium-sized prawns 
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation: 

First of all heat a frying pan (you can use a terracotta casserole as well) until medium hot. Add the olive oil and sliced garlic for 1 minute. Cut crosswise the chorizo into 1cm chunks. Then add the pieces and fry for 2 minutes, until chorizo is sweating.

Peel the prawns and add them to the pan with a bit of coarse salt. Fry for 3 minutes (until prawns get pink). Finally add a good splash of sherry and reduce it.

Add chopped fresh parsley and a bit of coarse salt. This type of salt enhaces the flavors, especially in sea food.

That's it! See you next Wednesday with new tapas recipes and Spanish gastronomy. 

Sobrasada red sausage: types and recipes

Sobrasada is the most distinctive and appreciated product in the Balearic Islands. But is not unique to Mallorca, is also made in many other parts of Spain. We find three different types of Sobrasada, depending on the breed of the pig:

• ‘Porc negre’ (black pig for Spanish): from Balearic Islands
• Iberico (Iberian pig): from Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla mainly.
• White pig: from all other parts of Spain, especially in the north (Teruel and Pyrenees).

The three types are delicious, and the taste is not too much different. The largest difference is due to the recipe. Each area, even each village, Sobrasada is made in different ways, with their own artisan and traditional methods. 

The Sobrasada looks like a sausage, because the mixture is stuffed in natural casings, but actually, the texture is more like a soft pâté. When eaten on its own, it’s usually spread on a toast with a slice of Manchego cheese. Many chefs say that Sobrasda is the best pâté in the world.

We’d love to show you how we made the Sobrasada, so here you have a homemade sobrasada recipe by now:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 of pork tenderloin
• 1/3 fatback and lard in equal proportions
• Salt
• Pepper
• Hot paprika

Preparation:

Mince the meat finely, fatback, and lard and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Fill natural casings with the mixture and cure the sausages in a cool place of about 50ºF. How long time has to be cured? Two months for thinner sausages (2 inches in diameter), four months for thicker ones (3 and 5 inches).

RECIPE: Sobrasda with beans and Spanish Cheese

Ok, four months later we have our own Sobrasada cured and ready to be eaten. How can we cook it? In a toast as stated above, or for example in the following recipe way:

Ingredients:

• 150gSobrasada
• 400g cooked white beans
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1 large tomate (pureed)
• 2-4 slicesof Spanish Cheese
• ExtraVirgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a low heat. When the onion is brown add tomato and stir all for a while. Add white beans and cook for 5 minutes. Place all into a cazuela (terracotta tray) and spread the Sobrasada on the top. Then place some Spanish Cheese slices. Grill for a few minutes and it’s ready to enjoy it.

¡Que aproveche!

Spanish Chorizo: spicy red sausage

Chorizo is one of the most famous sausages of Spain. Picante (spicy) or Dulce (sweet), there are many types of Chorizo. Each region or village makes it in its own way, with different ingredients and quantities, but basically is a red pork sausage with paprika and garlic.

You can find Chorizo curado (cured) or fresco (fresh) in every store in Spain. Cured is not cooked normally, but fresh is used to accompany a lot of dishes and recipes (always grilled or fried). Many times a group of friends meet in the countryside or the beach to have a good meal cooking grilled chorizo, chuletas (pork chops), sausages, black pudding… As in the photo

There are more types of chorizo in the world:

• Portuguese chouriço: pork, fat, wine, paprika and salt. Stuffed into natural casings and slowly dried over smoke.
• Mexican chorizo: similar to fresh uncooked Spanish chorizo, it’s made from fatty pork, but you can find beef, vernison, kosher or vegan versions. Secret ingredient: chilli peppers.
• Brazilian linguiça: chouriço refers to blood sausage, and linguiça to a normal pork sausage.
• Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic: smoked, well-seasoned sausage very similar to the smoked Spanish version.
• South America: deep red colour mixture of chopped pork meat, pork fat, salt, pepper grains, cinnamon, achiote and other spices.
• Goan chouriço: Indian chorizo is a legacy of Portuguese community. It’s a deep red por sausage links made from pork, vinegar, chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmenic and other spices, and is extremely hot.
• Philippines: Chorizo-making has a long tradition in the Philippines, with each region having its own speciality. This type of sausage is cured and available in the Spanish style.

But how many types of chorizo are in Spain? Well, each region, village or family has its own way to make chorizo. There are lots of different recipes. We’re going to see a few of them:

Dry Spanish Chorizo

• Cantimpalo: typical from Salamanca, Segovia and Valladolid in Castilla y Leon region.
• Pamplona: similar to Italian salami, but with less fat.
• Leon: contains a lot of garlic and its flavour is really hard. It can be cooked.
• Leon Herradura: made with the famous Pimenton de la Vera (type of Spanish paprika), normally in the shape of a horseshoe.
• Soria: Thick large brick like paprika flavoured, made from meaty chunks of pork loin.
• Blanco (White): made with pork loin, garlic and spices and white colour, similar to Italian soprassatta but with its distinctive aroma.

Semi-cured Spanish Chorizo

• Bilbao: naturally air-dried sausage made from pork and well-seasoned.
• Pirineo (Pyrenees): really hard and smoked.
• Teruel: hard spicy red sausage. Teruel is maybe the capital of chorizo and pork in Spain. Many people thinks that the best Spanish ham and sausages or chorizo come from Teruel.

One thing is sure, there are many types of chorizos and sausages, especially in Spain, and all are delicious, but the best is from Teruel: land of chorizo, Spanish ham and all kind of pork meats.