Goya Chorizo: a New York tradition

Having grown up in Texas, I always saw Goya products in the groceries. But I always assumed they were Mexican imports. Goya has always targeted the Hispanic market and it's one of the few Latino brands I see everywhere.

They stock more kinds of products in Latino groceries than any other brand. Well, surprise, surprise. The company started in Lower Manhattan, New York in 1936. Don Prudencio Unanue and his wife Carolina, immigrants from Spain, started with one grocery store.

I came across a Goya Chorizo at my local Winn Dixie and that led me to investigate a company that, product-wise, is as diverse as well-known giants like Del Monte Food Brands.

Goya Chorizo

This chorizo is packaged in Secaucus, N.J. and does not need refrigeration until you open it. I found it located next to the El Miño brand, which was a two-link package for about half the price. Goya's product is four links and weighs 3.5 ounces.

When cooking it, I found it to be higher in fat content than El Miño. The Goya chorizo behaves exactly like pepperoni when cooked. I sliced it into coin sections and let it sizzle on medium heat on the skillet.

Let's talk breakfast!

Since I'm dealing with a Spanish sausage, not Mexican, I took one liberty with a traditional Mexican breakfast recipe. I made mild 'huevos a la Mexicana' and added one stalk of chopped bok choy.

Traditional huevos a la Mexicana is scrambled eggs with onion, serrano pepper and tomato. I used onion, bok choy and tomato. No hot sauce here. (Actually, I sprinkled on a hot sauce after I cooked this and that's not in the second photo; I just couldn't resist, but I'm trying to put out a plate that anybody can try without worrying about searing their taste buds).

I separated some yolk from two eggs (watching that cholesterol), and poured the egg white over vegetables that had been cooking in canola oil for about three minutes. Separately, I put two northern Mexican-style chicken-filled tamales in the microwave and heated that for 1 minute (I say northern Mexican because I've seen tamales in Florida that come in aluminum packets, and I know southern Mexican tamales are cooked in banana leaves).

I chopped fresh Anaheim pepper (very mild and just a little section), and spinkled that over the tamales. The chorizo is laid out on the plate between the tamales and the 'huevos-not-so-Mexicana.' Nice, orderly looking plate - that should appeal to a Cuban's sensibilities. Maybe?

I had this with a mocha coffee. I used a packet of Ganocafé Mocha, which is a powdered cocoa with ganoderma, an Indonesian mushroom that has been dessicated. It's distributed in the USA through Dallas and my dad loves this stuff.

I put a few ounces of milk in a cup, mixed in the powder, the pour in the coffee and stir. It's great, but the taste is slightly different from regular coffee mocha because of the mushroom, which is supposed to have health benefits. I don't know about that, but it is pleasant on the palate.

The meal turned out very nice. Goya's chorizo is decent enough, but I'm going to have to say that given a choice between El Miño and Goya (both being in the unrefrigerated category), I'd go with El Miño because it was less greasy. I know, that's a contradictory thing to say for someone raised on uncooked Mexican chorizos that are really greasy!

Both Goya and El Miño are smoked, but I get the impression El Miño is smoked longer. The flavor is more pleasant (I'm a sucker for well-smoked meats) and I just think if you're going to buy a meat that is marketed as 'no refrigeration required' go for the one that has less grease.

Buen provecho!