We cannot think of any traditional sausage variety that has been as bastardized in America as Chorizo, an original Spanish creation dating back to the 8th century.  As made in its homeland, Chorizo travels well without refrigeration and landed in the New World with the conquistadors.  

Then the knockoffs began.  

With the growing influx of Latinos to these United States, our markets have been inundated with often pitiful imitations of Chorizo…too often just some ground spiced pork, extended with cereal, stuffed into plastic casings and suitable only for ruining scrambled eggs.  We should mention that there are Mexican-made Chorizos that resemble the original, but these are not exported.

Only this year the real thing arrived in Oregon.  “Palacios” brand Chorizo crafted in Spain can be found in gourmet outlets.  It is created with very lean pork, red chilies, garlic and bits of pork fat , mixed and stuffed into very narrow casings, then hung for many days in a smoking shed over smoldering hardwood fires.  Not something you’d do at home, but the distinctive flavors of Chorizo can be conjured up in your kitchen.

Bulk Chorizo is an easy challenge, avoiding the filling and tieing of casings.  Here’s a simple ‘do’ we like to freeze to have on hand for breakfast noshing:

  Homemade Chorizo

 1 clove minced Garlic  3 tsps dried Oregano
 ½ cup White Vinegar  ½ cup Red Pepper flakes
 ½ cup Water   3 tsps Chili Powder
 2 ½ lbs. ground Pork

      We dice a cut of Pork Butt and smoke the chunks in a pan in our outdoor grill with alder chips.for 30 minutes, then grind the meat.  Blend garlic, oregano, vinegar, pepper flakes, chili powder and water, then pour over the ground meat and mix well.  Refrigerate the whole for 12 hours to set the flavors, then you can separate the mixture into separate freezer packages.

If you find genuine Spanish Chorizo, it is incredibly delicious chopped and sauteed with thinly sliced onions.  Note that it produces its own cooking oil.  When used for scrambled eggs, saute’ the sausage first to render the oil, then add the eggs.

Creating Cascades Caviar

We are in the midst of a salmon season, and as fall approaches, the Northwest’s signature pisces will be arriving filled with eggs.  During decades of sports fishing for salmon, we’ve seen this roe either discarded with the rest of the fish’s innards, or saved to be cured as Steelhead bait.  Yet, if you visit a Kosher delicatessen in Manhattan, you’ll see “Columbia River Caviar” fetching a serious price from human diners (there are Northwest salmon processors who know this market).  

We like to treat the skeins of salmon eggs like shad roe…just roll the whole skein in seasoned flour and saute’ gently in butter.  However, with a little more effort, you can have a preserved caviar product:

Place two or three pounds of salmon egg skeins in a saucepan and pour boiling water over while stirring with a wooden spoon, until the individual eggs float free.  Now drain the eggs in a colander (the eggs will look white, but will return to a pleasing pink if you rinse thoroughly in cold water).  Put the eggs in a bowl, toss with fresh ground black pepper and two or three teaspoons of sea salt (not ordinary table salt).  Place the eggs in a cloth bag and hang in a cool place overnight (this will let any excess moisture drain away).  Now bottle the results and use as a spread for crackers or thin slices of a French baguette, to be enjoyed with a chilled Oregon Pinot Gris.

Pot lickin’s…check your fish monger this month for fresh Spot Prawns.  Native to Northwest waters, these are a very far taste cry from those previously frozen prawns dominating the display case…can anyone deny there is no comparison between boiled corn-on-the-cob and ears roasted in the husk via either oven or grill?…we have renewed faith in mankind’s survival with the rapidly growing restaurant consumption of raw oysters on the half shell.  Who needs Viagra?  

© 2002 Oregon Magazine