Tag: salt

Homemade Mexican Chorizo

I love a good breakfast burrito, and my absolute favorite is an egg and chorizo breakfast burrito. There’s just something about the rich, spicy flavor of chorizo that pairs so perfectly with scrambled eggs. Today, I’m excited to share with you how to make Mexican chorizo from scratch. This chorizo recipe is a great guideline that you can adjust to suit your own tastes, so feel free to get creative!

The History of Chorizo

Chorizo is a beloved sausage with a long history that dates back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it originated in Spain and Portugal. Spanish chorizo is typically a cured, smoked sausage made with pork and seasoned with smoked paprika, giving it its characteristic red color.

When chorizo made its way to Mexico during the Spanish colonization, it underwent a transformation. Unlike its Spanish counterpart, Mexican chorizo is fresh and uncured, meaning it must be cooked before eating. The seasoning also evolved, with Mexican chorizo incorporating local spices and ingredients such as chili peppers, vinegar, and garlic.

One of the wonderful things about Mexican chorizo is that there isn’t just one set recipe. It can be made in many ways, depending on the region and the cook’s personal preferences. In Northern Mexico, you might find chorizo that’s spicier and richer, while in other regions, the flavor profile could be milder or more herbaceous. Personally, I love my chorizo with a bit more oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes, but the recipe I’m sharing today is meant to be flexible, allowing you to adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground meat of choice (pork, chicken, turkey, or beef)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Prepare the Spice Mix: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, red pepper flakes, ground cloves, and black pepper. Stir until well combined.
  2. Mix with Ground Meat: Add the ground meat to the bowl with the spices. Pour in the apple cider vinegar. Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix everything together until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
  3. Marinate: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the chorizo mixture for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. This allows the flavors to meld together.
  4. Cook the Chorizo: To cook, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo mixture and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until fully cooked and browned, about 8-10 minutes.

Serving Size and Nutritional Value

  • Serving Size: This recipe makes approximately 4 servings.
  • Calories per Serving: Approximately 250-300 calories, depending on the type of meat used.
  • Protein: 15-20g
  • Fat: 18-22g
  • Carbohydrates: 2-3g

Storage and Shelf Life

Homemade chorizo can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. When freezing, consider portioning the chorizo into smaller amounts so you can easily defrost just what you need.

Variations

As mentioned earlier, this recipe is incredibly versatile. While traditional Mexican chorizo is often made with pork, you can substitute ground chicken, turkey, or beef if you prefer a leaner option or different flavor profile. You can also play around with the spice levels by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes or adding other spices you enjoy.

Summary

Mexican chorizo is a flavorful and versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes, but it shines especially in breakfast burritos paired with scrambled eggs. You can also use it in tacos, quesadillas, or even as a topping for nachos. It pairs wonderfully with warm tortillas, fresh salsa, and a refreshing drink like horchata or a cold beer. Whether you stick to this recipe or make it your own, homemade chorizo is sure to add a delicious kick to your meals!

Mexican Chorizo

The Best Beef and Barley Soup

One of my all time favorite foods, whether its cold outside and you want some cold weather food, or some comfort food is Beef and Barley Soup. I love this soup and it’s really simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into one inch cubes

1 tsp salt, divided

1 1/2 tsp pepper, divided

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp tomato paste

8 cups chicken broth or stock, divided

1 small bunch thyme

2 bay leaves

6 peppercorns

3/4 cup pearled barley

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

(optional – fresh parsley for garnishing)

directions:

  1. Add the vegetable oil to a Dutch oven and warm up over medium high heat.
  2. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and season the steak.
  3. Cook the steak in small batches, and brown the steak on all sides (1-2 minutes).
  4. While the steak is cooking cut up your vegetables (onion, celery and carrots) and set aside.
  5. After each batch of steak is cooked remove and set aside.
  6. Add your cut up vegetables to the Dutch oven and sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper (1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp pepper) and cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables brown.
  7. After 4-5 minutes add your chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove all vegetables and set aside.
  8. Add 2 Tbsp tomato paste to the Dutch oven and brown for 1-2 minutes.
  9. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to the Dutch oven and stir to deglaze the Dutch oven, then add 2 more cups of chicken broth and the beef.
  10. Take a small piece of cheesecloth and add in your thyme, 2 bay leaves, and 6 peppercorns. Tie up the cheesecloth into a small cachet and add to the soup, and simmer with a lid on it for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  11. After 1 hour 15 minutes remove the lid and add 2 more cups of broth and vegetables, and the barley. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Add the remaining broth or water as needed.
  12. After 30-40 minutes your soup is ready to serve.
  13. Enjoy!

The Best Homemade Beef and Barley Soup

You can purchase a Dutch oven to make your own Beef and Barley soup at Amazon.

Amazon Basics Enameled Cast Iron Covered Round Dutch Oven, 6-Quart, White

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy.

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Have you ever wondered what else you can do with your sourdough discard?  One of the many things you can use it for is to create sourdough English Muffins.  Sourdough English Muffin are delicious and easy to make.  My family loves these home made English Muffins and we eat them for breakfast with butter or jam and we even put on some sausage and egg to create our own version of the McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin.  Join me and let’s make a batch.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of fed starter

2 Cups of milk

2 TBS of honey

5 Cups of all-purpose flour divided

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 tsp

Directions:

  1. Add starter to a bowl and then combine with the milk.  Stirring to dissolve starter into milk.
  2. Add honey and mix in.
  3. Add 4 cups of flour and mix in.
  4. Cover and let it rest at room temperature overnight.
  5. Uncover and punch down dough.
  6. Add baking soda and salt to dough and kneed in, add flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.  May need to add up to 1 cup of flour.  Kneed for 5 mins.
  7. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to a ½ inch thickness, then using a 3-inch biscuit cutter cut out your muffins from the dough.
  8. Place cut muffins on parchment paper that has corn meal sprinkled on it.  Sprinkle corn meal on top of the muffins. 
  9. Let muffins rise for 45 mins. 
  10. Cook 4 to 5 muffins at a time in a buttered cast iron pan at low to medium heat.  Cook the muffins approximately 4 mins per side until each side has a nice golden color.
  11. Remove from pan and eat! You can eat them with butter, peanut butter, jam, or add egg and sausage with some cheese to make a sausage muffin. 

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa

Chips and salsa are one of America’s favorite snacks.  We like to eat them at restaurants, on Taco Tuesday’s, as snacks during the big game or other sporting events.  There is nothing better than fresh homemade salsa and once you try this recipe for authentic Mexican restaurant style salsa you will never buy salsa at the store again.

Ingredients
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes

3 small cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cumin

1 loosely packed cup of cilantro

½ white onion

1 jalapeno

Juice from one lime

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to food processor or blender.
  2. Pulse blend to achieve desired amount of smoothness or chunkiness.
  3. Enjoy!

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa