making chorizo
A delicious addition to any pasta , rice or soup dish
Making Chorizo
This favourite Spanish sausage is loved all around the world , and has many uses , but what people don ’ t realize is that it comes in many forms . Paul Peacock explores more ...
Chorizo is a spicy sausage flavoured with garlic and a special version of paprika , known as pimenton . It is made from the dried fruits of red peppers , and smoked in the drying process in specially built houses where huge oak fires provide the smoke . There are three grades of pimenton used in making chorizo :
Pimenton dulce , or sweet paprika made from round red peppers , somewhat like capsicums .
Pimenton agridulce is medium sweet , slightly hotter than dulce , and is made from long red peppers .
Pimenton picante is made from shorter , thin red peppers , and is quite hot .
In essence , the smaller and thinner the pepper , the hotter it is . Often these are blended , and you can get smoked and unsmoked versions . It is supposed that Christopher Columbus brought paprika to Spain from South America on his second voyage , and seemingly it wasn ’ t a great hit . However , it is now the characteristic flavour of Spanish cooking . On the whole , chorizo is made from medium sweet pimenton , but recipes vary from town to town , and even family to family .
Types of chorizo
Essentially there are three types of chorizo , though if you go on a tour of Spain you will find that there are millions of varieties , especially when eating in tapas bars .
There are cooking chorizos , which do not keep so well and are to be cooked before consuming . You will find these on pizza and in stews , and are fairly easy to make at home .
Then there are the Sobrasadas , from the Balearic islands where the humidity is higher , making it more difficult to air dry the sausages . These are extra spiced , very heavily laden with pimenton and have extra salt .
Then there are the Salchichones , which are usually air dried , for slicing , and contain a fermentation agent