[Sca-cooks] Chorizos

[Christiane]

Thanks everyone for the croquetas pointers! Poking around more, I found Spanish tapas versions online. If I can get some Serrano ham, I think I will use that.

Oh, I had forgotten to mention, the Cuban spread also included little Cuban sandwiches. The caterer had also included cracklings. The whole selection of food was definitely aimed at comfort, not anyone's diet. My cousin Steven, who introduced the Cuban contingent into the family when he married his wife Adolfina (Fina), half-jokingly calls Christmas Eve at his in-laws' "Pork-o-Palooza," but attests that the pork roast is always phenomenal.

Now onto chorizos; my cousin Laura, who also married a Cuban-American, introduced me to a tasty way to prepare the dried kind of chorizos as an appetizer or snack.

Take a cast iron pan, pour in a little olive oil. Heat the pan to just smoking, and sautee slices of dried chorizo until browned, meanwhile squeezing lime juice liberally over the slices as they cook. At the last minute, top each slice with a piece of sharp cheese (cheddar works, but let me know if you try this with anything else), and heat until the cheese melts. Eat with crackers or bread.

It's really the lime juice that makes it great. Marries perfectly with the flavors of the dried chorizo and the sharp cheese.

Gianotta