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Friday, February 3, 2012

Homemade Turkey Chorizo


I love chorizo but it is way too fatty for me, so I make my own with turkey! It really is easy and fairly quick. It does need to be prepared one day ahead though, as the finished product must sit in the fridge overnight for the flavors to marry.


I cook with taste and eyeballing, so the amounts I am giving are approximate and based on my likes, feel free to add/subtract whatever you want!


2 pounds ground turkey breast
8 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled
8 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt






Put the turkey into a bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients (pretty difficult huh?). We make out own red wine vinegar, and dry our own oregeno. I like to use two different types of chili powders. The chipolte chili powder has great flavor and heat. 






Mix it thoroughly with your hands, that will ensure everything is thoroughly combined. Smell it, if it is not spicy and super vinegary, add more! Here I added more chipotle chili powder.


Pull off a small amount, make it into a patty and fry it in a pan over medium low heat (there is no fat in this so be careful you don't burn it.)

Taste it. It should taste good and spicy. If not, add more of whatever it is lacking. When it seems right, cover the bowl tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.



The next day, form it into patties weighing the proper amount, wrap each individually and place into a freezer container or bag and freeze. Ground meats will keep about three months. You really don't want to keep them longer as the small pockets of air will allow the fat and meat to go rancid easily.

This chorizo is great in a scramble, as a meat dish, mixed with sautéed vegetables, any way you would eat your lean protein!

Here I have sautéed it with green onions, a whole bag of spinach, 1/2 cup egg whites and a small amount of low fat swiss cheese.








10 comments:

  1. So, after my success today with your pincho moruno chicken, I would like to make this dish next, which is similar in a way. However, I notice this dish does not contain any paparika (pimentón). Well, since I am in Spain, and since Carlos doesn't like spicy things, I was thinking of making it with pimentón (either picante or dulce, 'cause that's what we've got, but I guess picante would be best). If I were to eliminate the chili powder and red-pepper flakes altogether, how much pimentón would you recommend I use?

    Or do you think the recipe does not lend itself to this modification?

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  2. Derek, Just guessing I would say this would be fine with pimenton, and I would just use the same amount as the chile powder- replace it exactly. Just leave out the red pepper flakes all together. I would personally use agri-dulce, so use a mix!

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  3. OK, I shall try it soon, with pimentón. Hey, I went to the spice wholesaler (they've moved, by the way, to bigger premises close by) and bought the 12 euro box of saffron, as well as a kilo of pimentón ahumado. Perhaps I shall try this dish with that!

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  4. Am making the dish right now, what fun! I have eliminated all chilli powder and am using only paprika -- specifically I have used 25% pimentón dulce, 25% pimentón picante and 50% pimentón ahumado. I've just made the little sample patty and it is amazing, it certainly does taste a lot like chorizo! Just the texture is quite different, of course. So, I shall see what it tastes like tomorrow after the flavors have had the chance to marry!

    Tell me, how many patties will you make from this. Eight?

    PS -- Welcome back to California!

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  5. Sorry, I am so behind on all my responses! I make patties that are 4 ounces each, so yes 8. How did it turn out?

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  6. It turned out very good. When I make it again, I shall add less vinegar, but that is perhaps the only change I will make. I do find it quite dry, however, but I suppose there's nothing to be done about that, is there? And no, I did not include saffron -- I saw that you had that in your chicken pincho moruno dish, which I've also made and like very much. I don't know about saffron in this turkey chorizo dish, though: I think the flavours are too intense to notice the saffron, don't you?

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  7. I see no reason to add saffron here. You certainly can combine half ground turkey and half ground turkey breast- that way you will have more fat but not a huge amount. There is no reason for you to be extremely strict at this point...unless you plan to pose in a small gold bikini soon...

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  8. What a good idea! I mean the adding half non-breast meat, not the part about a small gold bikini. But maybe a small golden something is not a bad idea... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2d69dWNKi7E/Tq47bSRd0LI/AAAAAAAADg4/aOaKIp36sPA/s1600/rocky-gold-shorts.jpg

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  9. Rocky Horror! I remember that- too funny...

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