Chorizo: Pork, Paprika, and the Taste of Summer
Summer served: Grilled chorizo, baguette, and a porrón filled with Muga rosé, September 2007. Photo: Adrian Murcia
It’s one of those cravings that kicks in with some regularity this time of year, usually in the middle of the day: an unmistakable hankering for the garlicky, smoky-spicy, porky flavors of chorizo, the Spanish national sausage, believed to have originated in Extremadura but available around the corner from virtually every street in Spain.
Now that the warm weather has finally arrived to stay (and also considering the fact that the Spanish national soccer team is performing remarkably well in the Euro 2008 championship), there’s something celebratory about throwing chorizo on the grill. The smell and taste of melting pork fat combined with paprika, or pimentón, are just quintessentially Spanish.
Even more celebratory (and authentic) would be to get a hold of a porrón, a glass pitcher with a tiny spout on one end, and a couple of cold bottles of Rioja rosé, (I like Muga, El Coto, CVNE, López de Heredia and Marqués de Cáceres), grab a handful of baguettes, and make it a day, much the way Jorge Muga made our day during a vineyard visit last year.
If, as expected, Spain wins its group (Group D) in Euro 2008, they will play the runner up of Group C (most likely France or Italy) this Sunday, June 22 at 3pm Eastern Time, just about as good a day, time, and occasion for grilled chorizo as you’re ever likely to find.
Fire it up.
Chorizo hanging above a butcher’s counter in Logroño’s central market. Photo: Daniel Hertzell.
Frying chorizo at the Fiesta de Vendimia de Rioja Alavesa, September 2007. Photo: John Barkley.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Cooking up a hunk of chorizo always makes me think of Spain, its just so Spanish. I like Jorge’s style, an excellent way to enjoy some chorizo. Its a bit cold here in the southern hemishere for an out door adventure just now! Eggs and Chorizo for breakfast is favourate in winter tho.
Cheers,
Dave
June 29th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Dear Adrian,
I am writing to you on behalf of Zephyr Wine Adventures and Open Wine Consortium to invite you to attend the first-ever North American Wine Bloggers Conference scheduled for October 24-26 in Sonoma County, California. This conference will be a chance for wine bloggers - those who write about wine or about the wine industry - to meet each other, discuss our impact on the world of wine, and have a great time. We have put together a fantastic conference that includes two dinners, two lunches, educational seminars, a Grand Tasting, a Live Wine Blogging event, keynote speakers including Gary Vaynerchuk and Alice Feiring, and a Vineyard Walk all at a subsidized price of only $95.
Please see http://www.WineBloggersConference.org for details and to register. We have limited conference and hotel space, so please don’t wait to reserve your spot.
Whether you can join us or not, please consider promoting the conference by writing about it on your blog. PIease contact me and I will send you a small conference logo for you to use. Also, if you would like to sign up for Zephyr Wine Adventures’ Travels With Wine e-newsletter or join the OpenWine Consortium, please visit http://www.TravelsWithWine.com and http://www.OpenWineConsortium.org.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you at the conference!
Sincerely,
Yael Borofsky
–
Zephyr Adventures
1-888-758-8687
http://www.ZephyrAdventures.com