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Green Chorizo

A recipe for sausage made with pumpkin seeds, spinach, green chiles, and cilantro.

This recipe can be found at El Restaurante

Yield: 8 servings (about 2 lbs.)

Chorizo verde is a specialty from Toluca, Mexico. Like its red cousin, it crumbles when you cook it, but that is where the similarities stop. Its unique flavor profile resulting from diverse ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, green chiles, cilantro and spinach make it a standout. Serve it with eggs, as part of a taco or quesadilla, or in any dish made more delicious with red chorizo.


Ingredients

2½ oz.            washed baby spinach, blanched and well squeezed to remove excess moisture

½ c.             packed cilantro leaves

½ c.            packed parsley leaves

1 oz.             green pumpkin seeds

2             cloves minced garlic

½ t.             ground cumin

½ t.             dried oregano leaf

¼ t.             ground black pepper

2             Serrano chiles, minced

½ c.             cold water

1¼ lbs.            pork shoulder

¼ lb.             pork fat

2 T.             minced cilantro

1 T.             minced parsley

1 T.             salt

3 T.             vinegar

Directions

  1. In a blender, process the spinach, cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, pumpkin seeds, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, Serrano chile and cold water until it forms a smooth purée.
  2. Cut the pork and fat into a large dice. Freeze until very cold. Grind in a meat grinder (with a plate with approximately 3/16” holes) or in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  3. Combine the ground pork and fat, salt, spinach purée, minced cilantro and minced parsley.  Knead the meat until it comes slightly elastic. (Be sure it stays very cold while mixing). Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours.   
  4. To cook, sauté sausage in a sauté pan over medium heat until it is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. (It will crumble like ground beef during cooking.)

Recipe developed by Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, HAAC, vice president, Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts and the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts.

El Restaurante

El Restaurante magazine was founded in 1997, and is read by over 25,000 owners and managers of Mexican and Latin restaurants in the United States. The magazine is published five times per year by Maiden Name Press, LLC in Chicago, Illinois.

El Restaurante also publishes a monthly e-newsletter, eMex, and maintains the popular website www.elrestaurante.com.

El Restaurante is edited by Kathleen Furore, a veteran journalist. She has been the editor since the magazine was founded. Kathleen can be reached at 708-267-0023 or kfurore@restmex.com.

For advertising information, please contact publisher Ed Avis at edavis@restmex.com or 708-218-7755.

Recipes

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