Chori-Pollo: "It tastes like chicken."

Chori-Pollo, a chicken meat-based chorizo from Toluca Mexican Style Food Products in Baltimore, Md., is a novelty in the realm of chorizo offerings.

Que Rico Chori-Pollo by Toluca

Kind of like soy-based chorizos, Chori-Pollo isn't what most people think of when they have chorizo in mind. The standard chorizo is made with pork, and some aficionados consider beef chorizo a "high end" version; chorizo producers certainly charge more for the beef.

Toluca uses traditional Mexican spices with its chicken chorizo, but there's no getting away from the fact that it's chicken. It tastes like chicken, not that there's anything wrong with that.

This dish was put together with white onion, red bell pepper, queso fresco and eggs. We cooked black beans with a ham hock and then mashed them with milk and butter to have mashed beans (refried without the lard) as a side.

By the way, cooking black beans with a meaty ham hock--can't go wrong. It's delicious.

A few observations about cooking with Chori-Pollo. One, it is not as greasy as a pork meat and there's really no grease to drain. In fact, I used more cooking oil and butter than I would have otherwise to keep the onion and bell pepper (and later the eggs) from sticking and burning.

Two, the color contrast is startling. The chicken meat is so light colored that once you break it up in the skillet, it almost looks like the egg is already stirred in.

Mix in the egg and cheese (queso fresco) last. I made enough to serve four, so I used three links and four eggs.

If you've been to this site before, you've noticed I'm generally not specific about ingredient amounts. I've found everyone has a different opinion on how much of any one thing they want. I like a lot more onion and bell pepper than some, and I tend to go easy on the eggs.

I topped this dish with a little bit of salsa.

Buen provecho!

Chori-Chicharron: mixing a Toluca style chorizo with pork cracklin

Having recently received a package of Toluca Mexican Style Food Products from their base in Baltimore, Md., I started by experimenting with the Salvadoran and Argentinian brands.

I was saving the Mexican style pork product for later.  And having built up my sense of anticipation, I have not been disappointed.

So many chorizo products on the market stuff the casing with byproducts and melt away when cooked.  That has not been there case here. 

Que Rico brand Mexican Uncooked Chorizo holds up in the skillet as well as the Kiolbassa Provision Company products found in Texas.  That is high praise.  I can assure customers in the Que Rico markets (Northern Virginia to New York) that they are purchasing a high grade product.

This recipe mixes the Mexican style with pork cracklin.  You can use pork rind but then you'll probably want to crumble it first by lightly crushing it in your fist.

Some cooks just throw the pork rind in whole, but that isn't my personal preference. I think the pieces are too big when they soften.  However, pork rind softens faster than cracklin, so if you're in a hurry go for it.

What we have here on the right is a package of Que Rico chorizo with a couple of cups of cooked white rice, cracklin, onion and poblano.

If you follow my blog, you know that I rarely mention exact portions.  You know how fond you are of onion, or poblano pepper or anything else.  I'll leave it to you to decide how much you want.

I like a lot of vegetables, so the portions are similar in my dishes to what you might expect to find in a serving of Chinese stir fry.  Chop however much onion and poblano you want and set it off to one side.

For this dish, I pressed one link of chorizo onto a medium hot skillet and mashed it down with a fork, but making sure to keep it in one piece.  This chorizo can take the heat.  It's not like some cheap chorizos that burn easily, so don't worry too much about how long it's on the skillet.

Once it's burn turned over a couple of times, pour out the excess grease. Now pin down and tear up the chorizo into small pieces.

Lower the heat, pour in a third cup of water and two handfuls of pork cracklin and put a lid on.  Let it simmer for a few minutes so that the cracklin softens.

Raise the heat a little, until most of the water has evaporated.  Put in an tab of butter to make sure the vegetables and rice don't stick.  Stir in the vegetables and rice, stirring frequently until they vegetables are slightly cooked and the rice has evenly turned color by soaking up the spices and grease that have been released from the chorizo.

You should end up with this, a Mexican-style stir fry of chorizo, softened cracklin and vegetables with rice.

It makes a tasty, nutritious entrée for lunch or dinner.

Of course, chorizo is more commonly considered a breakfast food.

One of our favorite and simplest recipes for a breakfast chorizo is to mix it with a can of RoTel diced tomatoes and green chiles.  I also crush a couple of chipotle chiles and mix that in.

Let's get started!

I was making breakfast for three, so I used two links of the Que Rico Toluca style Mexican and mashed them into a medium to low heated skillet.

I opened a can of RoTel and emptied the water.  You may want to keep the water, depending on how juicy you like your topping.

Break up the chorizo into small chunks and then pour in the RoTel and chipotle flake and stir until evenly mixed.

Set it aside or keep a lid on it and leave it simmering on very low heat.

Now start another skillet on heat and spread butter on the surface.

Crack an egg into the skillet.  Cook it to your preference and flip.  We're making eggs over easy.

While this is going on, heat some corn tortillas on a comal, or not.  I prefer to have a side of tortillas myself.  We also had a side of refried beans with this meal, but that's also optional.

This is what the diced chorizo and RoTel should look like in the skillet:

Slide the eggs over easy to a dinner plate and top them with as much chorizo and RoTel as you want!

I like to heap the toppings on generously.

This was my breakfast plate on the left below:

Buen provecho!

Adventures a la Argentinian

Creamy Dreamy Taco

 Recently, we received a shipment from Toluca Mexican Food Style Products from their home office in Baltimore, Md.

I've been experimenting lately with the Argentinian chorizo.  Based as I am in San Antonio, Texas, however, a few of my housemates tried sampling a couple of links on their own--cooking them with diced potatoes.

They gave the chorizo a "C" grade. But I didn't see how it was prepared and disagreed with the grade. I suggested that wasn't the proper test.

First, they needed to keep in mind that--as Mexican-Americans--our preconception of chorizo is northern Mexican/southwest American, which this is not. It tastes very different. And while pairing Mexican chorizo with potato is very traditional, I've no idea how Argentinians do it.

I do know that Argentinians likes to mix ground beef or pork with green olives and raisins. That is a common way for them to stuff an empanada and they're delicious.

I find that pairing South American chorizos with cooked or raw red bell pepper is best and I recommend that as an essential basic pairing. Once you have those two together, you can experiment with a lot of things.

I offered to make breakfast tacos for Valentine's Day and prepared the last link in the following manner.  I chopped one chipotle pepper (also known as morita on the East Coast), and set it aside.  I removed the casing of the chorizo link and put it in a semi-hot skillet with two slices of bacon and pressed the chorizo and bacon into the skillet, occasionally turning the three pieces over until the bacon was browned and the chorizo was fully cooked, but still in one piece.

chorizo, bacon, chipotle, poblano and red bell peppers

I pinned the chorizo and two bacon slices to an inner edge of the skillet with a fork, tipped up the skillet and poured the excess grease into an empty yogurt cup (toss it later).  I then sprinkled the chipotle flake into the skillet with a quarter cup of water and began tearing the chorizo and bacon into small bits.

Que Rico Argentinian Chorizo from Toluca

I had previously chopped red bell pepper and fresh poblano pepper.  Once the chorizo and bacon was diced up, I poured in the chopped fresh peppers with a tab of butter and stirred occasionally until the peppers were slightly blistered.

I then put in five fresh whole eggs and a quarter cup of chopped queso fresco with a few dashes of salt and stirred constantly to make sure the eggs got well stirred and fluffed.

This provided at least two tacos servings a piece for five people. The Argentinian chorizo critics changed their minds.  They very much liked these tacos.  I found them to have a creamy flavor with the bacon and peppers coming across prominently and the chorizo offering a subtle earthy note.

Argentinian Chorizo in a Dinner Recipe

Earlier in the week, I prepared a dinner with boiled yuca on the side.  This turned out very well, but I must warn that boiling yuca is a chore.  Also known as cassava or manioc, the yuca is more dense than potato and takes considerably longer to boil.

I dice the yuca into small sections and put it in a pot with a lid and keep it in shallow water; this requires repeatedly topping off the water so that the pot does not dry out. Stir it regularly; yuca when boiled becomes very viscous. It looks like it's smothered in glue (or gravy, depending on your point of view).  If you don't stir, it will stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil it for about 90 minutes and let it boil down until it is not too watery.  The yuca will keep it's shape unless you mash it; stirring won't break it down they way a potato might after that much work.

With this particular side, I added a Habanero seasoning from Desert Gardens Chile & Spice Co. when I started the boiling process.  That gave it a great taste. I often prefer yuca to potato because it holds its shape and has a natural buttery flavor.

The main entrée was put together very simply.  I cooked the chorizo first, breaking it up after I drained the excess grease. Then I added a generous portion of red bell pepper and cooked that until the pieces blistered during the stirring.

I topped the chorizo and red bell with fresh avocado chunks and queso fresco.

Buen provecho!

P.S.  Toluca products are very good quality, but their market is presently within the Northeast.  If you're anywhere south or west of Virginia, you'll have to order by mail.









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!

Jalapeno & cheddar in a smoked beef sausage

That is a long title for a sausage, and that isn't even the whole title.

It is worth remembering though.

A while back, not too long ago, late 2012, Kiolbassa of San Antonio introduced the Kiolbassa Jalapeno & Cheddar Beef Smoked Sausage.

Kiolbassa Jalapeno & Cheddar Smoked Sausage

I've had sausage that was infused with cheddar cheese before, or jalapeno, but not both. You might be tempted to say, well, it's kind of gimmicky and yeah there's something to that. You could just chop and add the jalapeno and cheddar. But it does save a couple steps, so this is part convenience and part ... well, quality.

The fact is, Kiolbassa isn't going to go cheap on the ingredients. You chomp into this and you get the real thing. You can taste the cheddar and feel the heat of the jalapenos.  I recommend it, if you can get it. Like most Kiolbassa products, availability outside of Texas is limited.  But they're working on that and you can always have it shipped.

What's for dinner?  I made a plate with rice and vegetables and black bean soup.

The rice:  Chop yellow bell pepper, carrots in coin slices, and a green (I used sliced poblano pepper). I boiled three cups of water for 1.5 cups of white rice. That's enough for four heaping servings, maybe more.
After the water comes to boil (with salt, butter, 2 cloves chopped garlic, and cilantro for seasoning), I added the rice.
A couple minutes later, I poured in topped the boiling rice with a small bowl full of the aforementioned vegetables.

That was the easy part. Beans always take hours. This batch, I made with chopped garlic, a chicken broth bullion cube, and a couple of chopped chipotle peppers.

As for the sausage. I would normally grill it, but since it is infused with chedder cheese, I decided I'd rather cook it inside out fast. So I put it in the microwave for a minute.  Be careful with microwaves and sausages; you can turn them leathery if they're in too long or the power is too high.  Mine came out just right.

Buen provecho!

Kiolbassa invades Florida!

Kiolbassa Provision Company, one of my favorite Texas sausage and chorizo companies, is making its way into Costco Wholesale stores in Florida.

Kiolbassa Beef Smoked sausage at Costco

Floridians will not see Kiolbassa's full line of products, but this is a good start.

I do hope Floridians appreciate what's coming their way.

What is now available is the pork smoked, and beef smoked sausages.  I notice the lengths of the links in Costco are longer.

Texas sausage links are typically the length of a hot dog bun. But Floridians are more used to seeing sausage as packaged by Garcia brand from Dutch Packing Company in Miami, or from a number of sausage makers in Georgia that have enjoyed strong market share in Florida for some time now.

These Kiolbassa offerings are not much different from what Floridians are accostumed to seeing.  Maybe the idea is to show non-Texans a familiar comfort food?

I am looking forward to the day Florida will see some Texas styles that are more Texas than mainstream, such as mesquite smoked or beef with jalapeno.

Slice Kiolbassa sausage with Alma's pasta

The company announcement says Kiolbassa's Costco connection reaches across the Southeast and into Puerto Rico.

Fifty-three Costco stores from Atlanta to Miami, including four stores in Puerto Rico, are carrying the San Antonio-based Kiolbassa Provision Company product line, according to Kiolbassa President Michael Kiolbassa.

Kiolbassa is also in Costco stores in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, as part of this expanded deal with Costco’s.
Kiolbassa is one of the healthiest sausages on the grocery shelf. These are choice meats with fresh spices, no fillers, no MSG, naturally smoked and gluten free. They have the lowest sodium content among all national competitors.

Hey, if the flavors are genuine, you don't have to disguise your product with a lot of salt.

“Our premium products continue to attract customers and reinforce our company philosophy of Passion Makes Perfect, as consumers demand quality products for their hard-earned grocery dollars,” explains Kiolbassa, 50, who is the third generation Kiolbassa to lead the family-owned company that has been featured on the Food Network.

Costco stores will carry the company’s signature All Beef premium smoked sausage, considered the sausage-lover’s sausage because of its unique “chop” bite and richly smoked flavor achieved through small batch production using a time-honored recipe that draws on the family’s strong Polish roots. Kiolbassa was founded in 1949.

This year alone, the 25,000-sq.-ft. Texas plant expects to produce more than 12 million lbs. of sausage to be sold in 1,255 stores in 25 states, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Now, for some eats!

I made a spaghetti entre with a portion of this batch. But when I decided on spaghetti, I had not figured on being out of tomato paste, so I invented a sauce. This sauce involved a couple of large tomatoes, a chopped poblano pepper, a couple of very finely chopped chipotle (morita) peppers, a finely chopped ancho, a couple of cloves chopped garlic, some chopped onion (quantity to your taste; some people aren't too keen on a lot of onion), and finally, a couple of stalks of chopped celery.

I put all of the above ingredients in a blender, except the celery. I grilled the sliced up beef sausage, then tossed in the sauce with chopped celery and a little water. Easy on the water; you don't want your sauce too thin.

While all this is happening, I boiled angel hair pasta.  Let it boil for six minutes.  Angel hair cooks fast and you want to keep it al dente. Then rinse and put in a separate hot pan with olive oil to keep it from sticking.

I did not use mushrooms this time. But if you want it to have an earthier taste, that's a good idea. Now doesn't this look good? Buen provecho!