California Munchin'

As a native San Diegan, I yearn for California this time of year.  That short window between March and May have long been my favorite time of year in southern California.  It's green, the sun is shining most days, there's a light breeze and it's not scorching hot and hazy yet.  This time of year also marks three generations of birthdays for my family: my grandpa, mom, and brother--all born at the end of March.  Well, those spring chickens got a heck of a surprise when I showed up at the barbecue  a couple weekends ago.

But before I get ahead of myself, I arrived very late on a Thursday night.  My nephew was so excited for the next day's Disney adventure and had left me a note requesting the day's first ride...he even signed his name in cursive.  And yes, I am Auntie Em.  You can save the "Wizard of Oz" jokes for another day, because when he says it I melt into a puddle. 

California Screamin' happens to be one of my favorite roller coasters at Disney's California Adventure, which is just across the way from the main park, as we Californians call it.  I was happy to oblige my adorable little man.  We rode, we screamed, we waited in line, and then we ate the most amazing corn dogs for lunch.  I haven't had a corn dog in...well, years.  But my brother kept telling me about this one little street vendor at the end of Main Street (in the main park) that sells really yummy corn dogs.


Photo Credit: www.blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit



If you are ever in the main park, it is worth seeking out this little gem for a good old-fashioned, hand-dipped (Did I mention made to order?) corn dog for $6.75.  That includes a bag of chips or a bag of apples.  I opted for the apples, which were quite crisp and yummy.  

Photo credit: Michelle H. on http://www.yelp.com/

After we re-fueled, we headed off to Tomorrowland and my nephew's first ride on Space Mountain.  Not surprising, the wait time was about an hour.  Nonetheless, he loved it!  If the line wasn't so long, I would've taken him on it again. 

While the weather threatened to rain (these two photos were taken from the same spot...one facing the ride, the other facing the park), magically, it stayed sunny and even warmed up to the low 70's.  I was in short sleeves, people!  Of course, the local teenaged girl standing in line next to us was wearing Uggs, a scarf and puffy coat with teeny, tiny shorts.  A-ha-ha-ha!

The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and after eight hours of running from one ride to the next, we finally headed home.  I think Auntie Em and dad were more tired than the six year old.  Of course, that wasn't the end of the day for us.  While the nephew enjoyed some Super Mario Bros. on the Wii, the adults had some serious food prep to do before the big birthday barbecue the following day.  

My brother made three marinades for the three tri-tips in the fridge...all I can say is O-M-G!  These are all really delicious.  For me, it was a tie between options "a" and "b."  I wish I had taken pictures, but instead, I have the recipes for you here: Sylvia's Barbecue Marinade, the Best Steak Marinade in Existence, and the Montreal Steak Marinade.  I will make sure to share these recipes step by step with you in the future.  So good!  The birthday party was a huge success.  We pulled off surprising mom, dad and the grandparents and celebrated with lots of family and friends.  

Sunday Brunch

Sunday morning was brunch at the Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach.  One of my favorite breakfasts, which you can find on just about any restaurant's breakfast menu in SoCal, is Chorizo con Huevos.  Traditionally served with refried beans and corn or flour tortillas, it is a real crowd pleaser...and quite filling.  I think what I love the most is that on a menu, this dish is always listed under the "Traditional Breakfasts" section. 

 

Old World vs. New World

"What is chorizo?", you might ask.  Well, it is a pork sausage that has its roots on the Iberian Peninsula.  Thanks to all those ambitious conquistadors a few years back, this delicacy has spread like wildfire across the globe.  With each newly conquered region, a new recipe was created using local spices and resources.  And for every region, there is a recipe...quite literally hundreds.

  

In Europe, chorizo is most typically a fermented smoked pork sausage that can be sliced and eaten without cooking.  Most commonly, the pork meat is sliced, blended with pork fat, and seasoned with smoked dulce (sweet) or picante (spicy) pimenton (paprika), salt, white wine, and occasionally peppercorns.  The pimenton is what gives this European version is sultry red hue.

In Latin America, and specifically in Mexico, chorizo is prepared using ground fatty pork.  Chili peppers and apple cider vinegar replace the paprika and white wine.  Some variations include cumin seeds, coriander, cloves, marjoram, oregano, green chiles, tomatillos and garlic.  The meat is not cured like it's European cousin, but rather is uncooked. Since the casings are delicate, the meat must first be removed from the casings and then cooked.

Since I live in New England, my chances of finding Mexican chorizo are slim to none. Fortunately, the internet abounds with recipes of the homemade variety.  Good thing I had some ground pork from my CSA sitting in the freezer.

Mexican Chorizo (very loosely adapted from several recipes)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons ancho chile powder

4 tablespoons chile molido 

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon water

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together and mix with a fork until mostly combined.  If you have them, put on a pair of disposable gloves for the next part.  If you're like me and don't have disposable gloves in the house, use a large zipper bag as a barrier and knead the meat with your hand to make sure all the ingredients have been incorporated evenly and thoroughly.  Why?  Well, it'll stain your hands for one, but the chile powder has capsaicin in it...the stuff that makes chiles spicy.  This compound will stay on your skin even after washing those hands a few times.  Flash forward to touching your eye or some other spot and envision the burning...yeah, use the gloves, k?  Moving on...

Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours to allow all the flavors to mingle and get to know each other well.  the longer they sit, the more friendly they become.  At this point, you can separate the meat into 4 ounce servings, wrap in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze for future breakfasts.  (That's what I did here)  

I cobbled this recipe together from the plethora I found online that called for at least two pounds of meat.  Since I only had one, I had to fudge it a bit.  The result was flavorful and smoky, but not seriously spicy, like you might imagine.  Don't get me wrong, it had a kick, but not mouth-burning.  You can definitely add more chile powder to this or perhaps grind up some fiery dried chiles and use that instead of the bagged variety of ground chile powder.  Just keep in mind you might need to add another tablespoon of water to keep things moist. 

Chorizo con Huevos (Serves Two)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon canola oil

4 ounces prepared chorizo

half medium onion, diced

4 eggs, beaten

1 can refried beans

grated cheese for garnish(or crumbled queso fresco if you're lucky enough to find it in your grocery store)

half avocado, sliced

4 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed

Preparation:

 In a large skillet, heat oil in pan.  Add chorizo and break up with spoon.  Cook until browned.  This is tricky to discern since the meat is so laden with chile powder.  Just keep an eye on it.  It'll take about 5 minutes.  The pork I used was quite lean, so there was no excess fat in the pan.  In the instance there is excess fat from the pork and oil, pour this off and return pan to heat.  Add onion and cook until onion is soft, about 2 - 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, beat four eggs together until they are frothy.  Pour over chorizo and onion.  Continue to cook as you would scrambled eggs.  Stir in pan with a rubber spatula until eggs are fully cooked.  

Meanwhile, heat contents of a can of refried beans in a saucepan over medium heat until the beans are soft and loose in the pan.  They should be steaming, but not popping.  If they start popping, turn the heat down.  

Serve while hot.  You can serve this with salsa, hot sauce or go Coyote style and serve it with enchilada sauce.  Devour and enjoy!  This is a very hearty meal and is perfect for a Sunday brunch where you are most likely missing a meal somewhere in the day.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn't revisit the old world cousin.  I discovered Spanish tapas when I first moved to Boston almost ten years ago.  I had never experienced anything quite like it before, and it still serves as one of my favorite types of meals.  I love being able to try a variety of things in small portions.  Incorporating one of my favorite ingredients with this cured meat, I whipped up Chorizo in Red Wine for something new last night.  

Chorizo in Red Wine (adapted from Saturday Kitchen)

Ingredients:

2 tablesoons olive oil

1 shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 ounces chorizo, sliced on the diagonal

2 fresh bay leaves

1 cup dry red wine

Preparation:

Heat pan until medium hot.  Add oil, shallot, and garlic and cook 2 - 3 minutes, until softened, but not brown.  

Add chorizo to pan and cook another 2 - 3 minutes until crispy and all oils are released.

Add bay leaves and red wine and cook until volume is reduced to just coat chorizo.

Tip into serving bowl and serve hot.

Serve alongside some manchego cheese, marcona almonds, good olives if you've got them, and a hunk of crusty bread and you have yourself a delicious meal to share with friends.  This can be served with white or red wine since the meat was cured with white and cooked in red.  Up to you!

Buen apetito!