Chorizo

I don't know exactly what it is beyond a cured pork product but now that we have finally been able to obtain and try the this variety of chorizo, as opposed to the uncooked, ground, meat in a casing, we will not be going back. Gabe knew it was out there, he'd watched many a celebrity chef use it. I didn't quite believe him until he found some in Bisbee at the High Desert Cafe (see January entry). Its flavor is immense. It is spicy but not overwhelmingly hot. The spices are so powerful you do have to pause and ponder the milk situation in the house before you pop a piece in your mouth. It easily can overpower a dish so best to pair it with something equally powerful to marry it or something fatty and starchy to subdue it. Or just eat it by the slice.

*Edited to add: I did, in fact, just buy some of the uncured chorizo because it was on sale and, you know, its great in breakfast burritos.

One Hot Epiphany

You know those moments when you learn one small new thing that ushers in a beautiful new chapter of your cooking? We had one of those 2 weeks ago. Gabe was making a breakfast skillet with hash browns for dinner and he consulted Good Eats where he learned one small new thing that has made me a happy cook each time I practice it.

Now, my saute has always been sloppy, even browning meat results in a fair bit of food stuck to the pan. Scrambling eggs is even worse. Invariably I attempt to heat my oil whilst I cut my meat and the oil overheats and reaches its smoke point. So I turn the heat OFF and then the meat gets put in the pan when I turn the heat back on....stuck meat, burnt oil, cursing. BUT if I turn the heat to MEDIUM/LOW for 5 min while I'm prepping the meat...VOILA! The oil doesn't burn, the meat doesn't stick (much) the hash browns get crispy, the eggs get beautiful. MEDIUM/LOW. Happy cooking.

*this is a technique for hash browns in a cast iron skillet but have found it works wonderfully in our stainless steel pots and pans. It is probably not as critical a nuance for non stick cookware.