chorizo - any secrets to cooking? (also chipotle in adobo)

[dtud]

i bought some chorizo hoping to do some kind of hash/huevos rancheros for breakfast.

i was wondering if there were any secrets to cooking this (like adding water to the pan like american breakfast sausage). i planned just to fry it up like ground beef. and put it on a fried corn tortilla with refried beans and eggs. will frying it work or will it burn? other ideas?

on a totally unrelated i also bought a can of chipotle in adobo and have no idea what to do with it. ideas appreciated.

[Davwud]

I don't have it with me (I'm at work) but if you'd like, I'll give you my chipotle mayonnaise recipe.

DT

[Davwud]

Nevermind. I found it from a previous post.

Chipotle Mayo
2 Cups Mayo
1/2 Can (7oz.) of Chipotles (Minced) in Adobo Sauce (Sauce included)
1 Tb minced Garlic
1 Tb dried Oregano
1/2 Tb ground Cumin
Juice of 1 Lime

Mince the chipotles and garlic up fine and then process everything in a food processor. I keep mine in an old Hellman's squeeze bottle that I cleaned out.

Enjoy
DT

[Gio]

Made your mayo tonight, DW, to go with spicy ground turkey burgers. Boy, is That dyno-mite! Paired it with a potato salad from COTM and when I close my eyes I can still taste it. Thanks very much!!

[Davwud]

NP

DT

[Veggo]

Cut the chorizo from the casing and fry it loose until slightly crispy. All that fat that looks like red transmission fluid? Save it! It complements, eggs, fried onions, skillet potatoes, and more.
Some folks here are talking about pureed chipotle in adobo as if it's baby food. It is very strong, and can ruin otherwise wonderful dishes with only small amounts. Be careful. TENGA CUIDADO!!!!

[Gio]

I mix a couple of chopped chipotles with the adobo into turkey meatloaf, bison burgers, and anything else where I want some heat of a different sort than chopped fresh chilies. . It is hot but has a nice smoky flavor.

Here's one recipe I use to make chorizo (I have several):
1 pound ground turkey or bison
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoon cayenne
4 each garlic cloves minced
1/2 bunch oregano fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander ground
1 tablespoon cumin ground
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Mix all together.....

[Veggo]

Gio, wow! You are still getting your kicks....on route 66.. :)

[Gio]

.....and beyond. Had to reduce the amount of garlic used in your Chimichurra sauce, though. ; )

[Veggo]

You are right- 8 cloves is way too much. 4 large is plenty. And you can reduce the olive oil by a third.

[DiveFan]

As for chorizo, try making it yourself! http://www.chow.com/recipes/11809
Seriously, that commercial Mexican style chorizo is fatty, gristley dreck.

OTOH canned chipotles en adobo are usually wonderful. Homemade Mexican food goes well with tomatillo & chipotle salsa, a variety usually seen at your better taquerias and taco trucks: http://www.chow.com/recipes/11456

[maestra]

2 easy uses for chipotle en adobo you might not have seen:
1. Blend to taste w/roasted garlic and crema mexicana. Bake chicken breasts under the sauce, topping w/cheese to melt if you like.
2. Mash into roasted sweet potatoes (a la Alton Brown).

[jcattles]

Use chorizo as a base for jambalaya or paella
brown it then saute the sofrito in the grease, ad the chorizo back in and add whatever else you want

[tlegray]

I'll add the blended chipotle to mayo, ketchup, honey butter, beans, bbq sauce, ranch dressing, etc. The list could be endless. Just start out with a tsp and add as needed.

[Pampatz]

We had the raw "Mexican" chorizo this morning. The firm, cured chorizo is Spanish.
If you have raw chorizo, I usually remove it from the casing.

This morning I browned the chorizo and drained. Set aside. Next I browned some Ore-Ida Potatoes O'Brian in leftover bacon grease. Combine the chorizo and the potatoes. Then I broke four eggs onto the top of the mixture and cooked over medium heat until whites were set but the yolks were still runny. Finish with grated cheddar cheese and tomato salsa.

In Mexico, we frequently have chorizo grilled.

[Val]

Here in SW Florida, the stores sell chorizo in 2 forms: raw and dried (which resembles pepperoni). Which kind do you have? I agree with you on trying it with eggs--really delicious. If I'm using the raw form, I just brown it in a pan and I don't use water...it's a bit greasy even after cooking.

I agree with the other posters about the chipotle...it is very versatile and you can freeze it, too; a little goes a long way, it's pretty hot. We love it mixed with mayo and fresh lime juice for a great sandwich spread. It's also great added to any chili while it's simmering.

[southernitalian]

There have been quite a few posts regarding chipotle in adobo. I use it on everything. Chicken, eggs, ground beef when making tacos and tomato soup to name a few. I can only find in small cans with tab tops so once it's opened I transfer the leftover portion to a small plastic container that keeps in the fridge for...about three days until I finish it.Regarding chorizo, it's pretty hard to mess up. Your idea sounds good.

[Deborah]

Here are some ideas for your chipotle in adobo sauce. One is just puree the whole contents of the can and use like a hot sauce. It will keep in our fridge for about a month. I make a sauce from the chipotle puree which I always have on hand in my fridge to eat with eggs, along with pizza etc.....

Honey Chipotle Sauce. 4 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. chipotle puree, 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. water. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended. Refrigerate. It will keep for a month but I use mine up usually in a few weeks. It's delicious!

[dtud]

WOW - i pureed plain and boy is that great!!!! what a new and good treat. thanks for the tip. it is so spicy and tasty. just great.

i suppose i could cook shrimp in it and put it over rice for something even better.

are there any other canned chiles that work like this?

[Val]

Dtud, you certainly can cook shrimp in it...here's a super recipe from epicurious for Shrimp Baked in Chipotle Sauce...(we removed the shells so that the shrimp would take on more chipotle flavor and we cut back on the butter a bit):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[Eat_Nopal]

I recommend searing the Chipotle puree for 5 minutes with some olive oil or lard to round out the flavor. Then if you de-shell the shrimp... sautee the shells with butter & garlic on low heat to capture some nice shrimp flavor as well as the naturally goo in the shrimp shell that will help thicken the sauce.... then adding the shrimp & puree for a quick sautee.

[Danimal]

deborah, what do you use the honey chipotle sauce for??