A taste of Toluca in Baltimore

Finding chorizo products east of the Appalachian Mountains can be a challenge.

Most authentic Mexican chorizos are not marketed that far east.  Having lived in South Florida 4 1/2 years, I learned first-hand how limited chorizo brands can be.

Even though South Florida has huge Latin American populations, the brands available come down to a few imports from Mexico, some local version from Miami-Dade County and La Banderita out of Valdosta, Ga.

Then I was contacted by Paulino Garcia, founder of Toluca Mexican Style Food Products in Baltimore, Md.  Paulino and his wife Yolanda launched the company in 1996.

In the early 1990s, Paulino was doing market analysis for McCormick Pesa, SA de CV México.  McCormick was considering launching a line of chorizo seasonings so that consumers could make their own chorizo from scratch.

As Mr. Garcia states on his website, "While the market research was being conducted, Mr. Garcia noticed that there was a small presence, if any, of the actual Mexican chorizo."

Today, Toluca Mexican Style Food Products are sold in Maryland, Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.  Their customers are predominantly immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Argentina and Colombia.

The Garcias have recipes indigenous to each region.

"The meat we use for our pork products is boneless butts, pick nick, shoulder or trimmings, 80-20, depending on the availability in the market," Garcia said. "The only preservatives we use are BHA, BHT and citric acid.  As you know, when nitrite is in chorizo, by USDA regulations, it isn't considered fresh because nitrite is a curing agent."

The Garcias also make a chicken chorizo made of boneless thighs.  The entire product line includes a Regular Mexican Chorizo-Mild Hot; a Jalapeno Mexican Chorizo (of course, it's hotter); Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduran chorizos--all of these are not spicy.

Catering to South Americans, they also provide Argentinian and Colombian styles, also not spicy.

   

"We have a letter of warranty from all our ingredient suppliers on file, following USDA regulations.  We use dry ingredients that have been analyzed to comply with the levels of bacteria allowed by USDA regulation.  We do not use any fresh spice because the control of the bacteria is really hard to keep in check," Garcia said.

 

The Garcias were kind enough to ship me several samples that I agreed to try.

 

I started with the Salvadoran, which is labeled "Que Rico!!! Salvadorean Uncooked Chorizo."  The flavor profile is different from Mexican and if that's what you're used to, you'll notice the difference right away.

 

This is a quesadilla recipe:

 

• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, or any Mexican cheese that provides a gummy elasticity when it melts, such as asadero, also referred to as Oaxaca cheese
• 3 chorizo links (remove the casing)
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 fresh chiles (serrano or jalapeno); those are hot. If you want a milder chile, chop one Poblano or Anaheim or a Cubanelle
• salt and pepper
• olive or vegetable oil for brushing

Make sure all of your vegetables are chopped first.  Then start browning the chorizo on a low heat.  One thing to note here is that this Salvadoran chorizo is not fine ground.  You will need to put a little more effort into breaking down the chunks.  I suggest using a spatula and fork to pin-and-pull the meat.

 

This phase is going to produce plenty of grease.  Once the meat is cooked, spoon it out of the skillet into a bowl with a slotted spoon, then drain the skillet.

 

Start a second burner and heat up your comal for the tortillas.

 

Add a little vegetable oil to the same skillet and quickly stir fry the chopped chiles and add salt and pepper to taste.  Do not cook the scallions.  Now add back the meat and the graded cheese and stir for a couple of minutes.

 

Immediately after you turn the heat off, stir in the chopped scallions.

 

With the comal lightly oiled (just brush the oil on) start heating a tortilla, move it aside and heat a second tortilla.  Pour the ingredients/filling on the second tortilla and put the heated side of the first tortilla on top.  Press, flip and heat.  Once both tortillas are harded, (but not burnt!), slide your quesadilla to a serving plate and start on the next quesadilla.

 

Buen provecho!

 

 

 

 

I am chorizo! (Cacique's soybean chorizo for vegetarians)

Cacique produces a meat-free chorizo that the company labels "Soy Chorizo."

I have to believe the name is an intentional pun, since most chorizo fans have some Spanish literacy and the Spanish word "soy" means "I am."

I've long been aware of Soy Chorizo, but not being vegetarian I had little interest in trying it.  That was a mistake.

While it is obvious that this isn't pork, Cacique did a good job of getting the flavor right.

There are other advantages.

Most pork- or beef-based chorizos are very greasy when cooked and should be drained during the cooking process.  Otherwise, once you stir in your scrambled eggs and whatever other ingredients you choose, they soak up all that cholesterol high grease.

Once I opened the package, I realized -- duh! -- there won't be any grease or cholesterol from this chorizo.

The recipe I went with for this meal involved chopping poblano, red bell pepper and scallions. Normally, I would brown the chorizo first, but since there's no raw meat to cook, I mixed in the chorizo and cut veggies at the same time.

Also, since there is no animal fat, I used a little more vegetable oil than I normally mess with. Cooking time is shorter, since you just want to soften the pepper skins in the skilled before you pour in the egg.

I won't offer an opinion on portion volume. Some people aren't big veggie fans, but I like a lot in my mix.

This is a good-tasting chorizo! I was struck, not just by the taste, but the texture of the soy curd.

It bears a remarkable resemblance to ground meat.

It also spreads very easily. Some meat-based chorizos are not fine ground and have to be broken up in the skillet.

With this particular meal, I broke up and sprinkled queso fresco on top as I made my corn tortilla tacos.

One other thing, the price surprised me. Maybe it was on special that day, but this Cacique brand sold for $1 dollar per 10-ounce tube. That's a good deal! A 10-ounce portion of a quality grade pork chorizo would easily run twice that price or more.

Buen provecho!