Tag Archives: chorizo

Fresh Pasta

Stringozzi with Roasted Poblanos, Corn, & Chorizo

The ingredients for this pasta sauce are hardly Italian, but the concept (clean, bright flavors) is very much Italian in spirit. As often happens in summer, there are so many vegetables to use up, and a pasta sauce is a great way to transform summer’s bounty into a memorable meal in relatively little time. Poblanos mellow when roasted, their smoky heat perfectly offset by corn’s sweetness and chorizo’s bold, porky taste. We love the Palacios brand of chorizo imported from Spain, and a little goes a very long way.

Stringozzi are a thick cousin of tagliatelle, made in Umbria and sauced with grated black truffles, fresh tomatoes, or whatever inspires the cook at the moment. To make stringozzi, we roll out our all-purpose semolina flour and egg pasta into sheets, stopping at the third setting on the pasta machine so the sheets are nice and thick, then cut the sheets into noodles with the linguine attachment; the result is a resilient, toothsome noodle very much like stringozzi. If you don’t have fresh pasta on hand, or don’t feel like making your own, opt for a chewy, ridged noodle like rigatoni or penne rigate instead.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer

  • 2 poblano peppers, halved and seeded
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ounce chorizo imported from Spain, casings removed, minced
  • 1 ear fresh corn, shucked, kernels scraped off
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 pound stringozzi or other pasta
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Make the sauce: Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the pepper halves, cut side down, on the foil. Slip under the broiler and broil 5 to 8 minutes, or just until starting to blacken; don’t overdo it or you will have a really tough time peeling off the skins, as poblanos are very thin-skinned. Wrap in the foil and set aside until cooled. Unwrap, slip off the skins, and cut into fine dice.

Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a deep, wide skillet large enough to accommodate the pasta later. Add the garlic, chorizo, corn, and poblanos. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring once in a while, until the corn is soft and the chorizo has rendered its fat and turned the sauce orange, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and all the pepper, and splash in 1/2 cup of water; cook another 3 minutes, or until the water has reduced by half. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop in the pasta and cook until al dente, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Add the pasta to the skillet. Saute over high heat for 1 minute, stirring in the Pecorino and thinning out the sauce as needed with some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot.

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Main Course: Meat

Roasted Poblanos Stuffed with Ricotta & Chorizo

When a recipe calls for less than a handful of ingredients, requires about 10 minutes of work, and delivers amazing satisfaction, it becomes a favorite in our kitchen. That’s exactly the case for these stuffed peppers.

Most stuffed peppers feature heavy meat or rice stuffings, and are often bathed in tomato sauce. I’ve never much loved these, and neither does my husband. The inspiration for this dish came to me during Hurricane Sandy, when we had to finish off whatever was left in the refrigerator quickly. You can hold them in a roasting pan for 12 hours or so before roasting; they are an ideal make-ahead dish for entertaining, and depending on the rest of your menu, they can either serve as the main course or side dish. I’ve served the peppers reheated the next day too, and they are almost as good.

When selecting chorizo, look for the cured Spanish variety; we buy Palacios chorizo, which is all natural and imported from Spain. The fresh Mexican chorizo is too vinegary and crumbly for this dish.

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Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling the roasting pan
  • 1 pound fresh whole-milk Ricotta
  • 1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, casing removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 poblano peppers, halved, stemmed, and seeded

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (preferably set on convection bake). Lightly oil a roasting pan large enough to accommodate all the peppers.

In a medium bowl, combine the Ricotta, chorizo, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Arrange the pepper halves in the oiled roasting pan.

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Scoop the Ricotta mixture into the pepper halves and spread evenly to fill. Drizzle the top with the olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden on top. If the cheese filling browns too much before the peppers are soft, cover with aluminum foil, then uncover during the last few minutes of roasting to evaporate excess moisture. Serve hot or warm.

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Focaccia

Kale & Chorizo Focaccia

Focaccia is a canvas for anything you are inspired to eat. I especially love focaccia topped with greens, finding the lengthy cooking time mellows the vegetables into sweet submission. Last week, we had a bunch of Tuscan kale in the refrigerator and a knob of Spanish chorizo; here is the delectable result. Any type of kale, or other greens such as broccoli raab, spinach, beet greens, or even cabbage will work instead. For a vegetarian version, omit the chorizo and add 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano when topping the dough.

Makes one 14-inch focaccia (serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer)

For the dough:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
  • 1/3 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 2/3 teaspoon sea salt, plus 1/8 teaspoon for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons room temperature water, plus extra if needed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the bowl

For the topping:

  • 1/2 pound (2 average bunches) Tuscan kale, stems removed, washed and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 ounces Spanish (dried) chorizo, casings removed, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
  • cool water as needed
  • 1/4 pound fresh Mozzarella, diced (optional)

Make the dough: Place the flour, yeast, and 2/3 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the water, and stir well. If the dough is too dry to gather around the spoon, add a bit more water by the teaspoon until the dough gathers into a soft mass around the spoon. If the dough is sticky, add a bit of flour by the teaspoon until it forms a cohesive, soft mass.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead vigorously for 10 minutes, or until it is very smooth and elastic. Try to add as little flour as possible to the dough as you knead it; the more flour you add, the denser the focaccia will be. It is all right if the dough sticks to your hands a little; knead it faster and it will tend to stick less. The dough is kneaded sufficiently when it is smooth and even in texture all the way through, and when it springs back when poked with a finger; it will also stretch about 6 inches without tearing when pulled apart with two hands.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in it.

Turn it to coat with the oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until starting to increase in volume. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours (a 24-hour rise yields a tastier dough). Return to room temperature when you are ready to shape the dough and bake the focaccia.

One hour before you are ready to bake the focaccia, and after it has returned to room temperature, preheat the oven with a baking stone on the bottom rack to 425 degrees (preferably set on convection bake).

Lightly oil a 14-inch shallow pizza pan. Turn the risen dough out onto the oiled pan and using your fingers, push and flatten gently so it stretches out a bit. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes (if you try to stretch the dough too far at this point, it will simply spring back, as the gluten needs to relax).

Uncover and flatten again so the dough extends and covers the entire base of the pan. Try to stretch it evenly so it does not tear anywhere or have thin patches. Brush with the tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Let rest 15 minutes, uncovered.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the kale and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Boil the kale 5 minutes, or until it is bright green and tender, and drain. Cool under running water, drain again, and squeeze almost (but not completely) dry.

Chop the kale a few times.

In a nonstick 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the onion, chili, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Stir in the chorizo and cook 2 more minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in the boiled and chopped kale. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and mix well. Cook 10 minutes, adding a bit of cool water if the kale is sticking to the skillet. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Cool to room temperature.

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Top the dough with the cooled kale mixture. Spread it out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes (this allows the gluten to relax). Remove the plastic wrap.

Bake on the baking stone in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown all over and crispy around the edges, spraying the oven floor with ¼ cup of water 3 times during the first 10 minutes of baking. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cut into wedges. Serve hot, topped with the Mozzarella if desired.

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