Recipe: Short-Cut Gringo Chorizo

Short-Cut Gringo Chorizo

Makes 12 ounces raw sausage

For lighter eating, I actually prefer this turkey-pork blend to traditional Mexican chorizo, a flavorful sausage that unfortunately oozes in fat. But this mix is so lean there's not even a need to drain it. Use it to flavor scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, rice, or spoon it into tortillas slathered with beans and salsa. Yum!

Ingredients and steps:

1 (12-ounce) chub 'light' breakfast sausage
(such as the turkey/pork mix made by Jimmy Dean)
1 teaspoon powdered red chiles, preferably ground ancho chiles
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Mix together all ingredients well. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes prior to use, or cover and let the flavors blend overnight or up to 3 days. Fry until crumbly, breaking up the sausage as you go. Note that the sausage will initially give off liquid from the added vinegar, but this will evaporate as you cook it. The sausage, deep-red in color, never really browns but is done when cooked through and crumbly.

Recipes:

Introduction