Make Spanish Chorizo Sausage

Make Spanish Chorizo Sausage

Make Spanish Chorizo Sausage

Going back, more Spanish families lived in the country. More-often-than-not, they'd have a little plot of land, where they'd grow their own vegetables, keep some chickens... and fatten a pig.

The beauty of keeping a pig was that it could be cheaply fed from kitchen leftovers and, once killed, nearly every part could be used, with practically no waste. When November arrived, and the pig was nice and fat, the family would gather together - each having their own particular role to play - and kill the pig.

In Spanish, this slaughtering of the pig is known as the "matanza", and is still very much celebrated in Spanish villages to-day, with fun-loving fiestas, free-flowing wine, and much rejoicing. Why did the "matanza" traditionally take place in November? Well, the weather was cooler then, with less chance of the meat going off. Also, it meant that village people were well-stocked up for the winter. This was particularly important as - even to-day - more-isolated villages in mountainous areas are completely cut off for a spell during winter when heavy snows have fallen. Going back, each family would kill its own pig. This was no easy task, as getting a big, fat pig settled, ready for the knife, is quite hard work!

The pig was killed by stabbing it in the neck. This also released the blood, which the ladies of the family would catch in a bowl. Care had to be taken to ensure the blood didn't clot, for this was needed for mixing with rice and spices to make "morcilla" or black pudding.

It was also the task of the females to make the chorizo sausages. For this, they would take the pig's intestine, empty it, clean it, and then leave it to soak in salt water, to remove any unpleasant odors. And now, for those of you with a pig roaming around in your garden, which you plan to slaughter in November, here's a basic recipe for making your very own, tasty, chorizo sausage!...

Chorizo Recipe

Ingredients:

- 1 kilo pork
- 40 gr paprika - sweet or spicy, according to taste
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
- 20 gr salt
- 50 cm pig's intestine
- A little water

Method:

1. Chop up the pork fairly finely.
2. Mix in the paprika, garlic, and salt.
3. If necessary, use a little water to facilitate mixing.
4. Cover with cling film.
5. Leave in fridge 24-48 hours.
6. Fill intestine with the mixture, leaving a few centimetres of intestine free at one end.
7. Tie a knot in the end of the intestine.
8. Leave to hang in a well-ventilated place, normally for 3 months plus.

Well, I do hope all this talk of killing pigs and filling intestines won't put you off enjoying all those delicious chorizo sausages you'll find in Spain!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Plummer

Your Guide to Spanish Ham

Your Guide to Spanish Ham

Your Guide to Spanish Ham

Your Guide to Spanish Ham

Deliciously healthy, with an exquisite taste, it's ideal both as tapas and as part of a main meal... especially when washed down with a ruby red glass of smooth Rioja wine.

But, what exactly is Serrano ham, how is it made, what are its health benefits? And, how about the king of Spanish hams - jamón Ibérico? How does Ibérico ham differ from Serrano ham? And, what is "pata negra", and what does it mean?

Jamón Serrano

First of all, let's get the pronunciation and meaning clear. It's pronounced "ham-ON", with "jamón" meaning "ham", and "Serrano" being the equivalent of sierra or Mountains. For, traditionally, Spanish hams are cured in hilly or mountainous countryside.

Curing Procedure

Serrano ham is made from white pigs and, after being killed in November, the hams are tucked between layers of sea salt and curing salts for a few days - normally 24-48 hours per kilo.

The salt is then cleaned off, and the curing and aging process takes place, normally lasting some 12-14 months.

During this time, a specialist will regularly pierce the ham with a cow bone and sniff it, to ascertain the quality of the ham.

At the end of the curing process, the hams will have lost as much as 40% of their original weight, the meat now being dark-red in color, and the fat moist and yellowy.

Jamón Ibérico

Iberian pigs differ from their Serrano cousins in that they're nearly always black, with black hoofs. This is where the term "pata negra" comes in, for it means "black hoof".

It's the free-range diet of the Iberian pigs that makes their ham superior to that of the ordinary Serrano pig, plus a longer curing process of 18 months to 3 years. The king of the Iberian ham is the "Bellota" ham, for these pigs are fattened exclusively on acorns. And, yes, the Spanish for acorn is "bellota"!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Plummer