Baked Chorizo: A Special Guest Post!

Inspired in part by Aundra’s work, I started my own little corner of the Internet to force myself to spend more time thinking about the things I love: reviewing books, recipes, and all kinds of art.

One of the things I love most about cooking is playing with a recipe. What are recipes except suggestions, starting points?

So for Cinco de Mayo, when friends of mine organized a little get-together, I volunteered to bring chorizo. The last time I made chorizo, the results were, let us say… delicious but unimpressive. The chorizo meatballs fell apart when I tried to fry them.

I started with a recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook for chorizo. I soaked the ground pork overnight in apple cider vinegar, just like last time. This is the one part that makes it a tough recipe for me- this requires a little bit of thinking ahead.

I kept the spices the same…

Then, I pressed the pork into patties instead of rolling them into balls.

As a last adjustment to the recipe, I baked the chorizo. Healthier and better held together (Aundra, aren’t you proud?)! {Aundra’s note: Soooo proud, John.}

I meant to take a picture of the finished product, topped with sour cream and fresh salsa, but frankly, the evening was too much fun. My contribution went over well, and I hope you get a chance to use it at your next dinner party.