Mariano's Spanish Goods

Chorizo Chorizo español (Spanish chorizo), pronounced "cho-ree-tho", is a spicy Spanish sausage which can be bought fresh or cured and is a popular cold meat in Spain, eaten all over the country. Fresh chorizo is fried or grilled and then eaten on its own or with bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also makes a popular "tapa" (small snack). It can be added to pasta or rice dishes, casseroles or hotpots, and is delicious as a pizza topping or just barbecued. Chorizo can be mild or very hot, depending on the area it comes from and the taste of the buyer. Why does my chorizo taste so good? Simple. I use only the best ingredients. I chose the free-range pork of Murrellen ( www.murrellenpork.co.nz) from Ashburton because of its incredible texture and flavour. The other most important component is the Spanish paprika (capsicum annum) known as pimentón in Spain. This gives chorizo its characteristic flavour and colour. I blend my own using both a mild sweet paprika and a smoked hot paprika from Muñoz y Pujante (www.munozypujante.com). Also added are salt and NZ grown fresh garlic- nothing else. My chorizo has no gluten, nitrates or preservatives. I do all the processing myself. To give my chorizo its distinctive chunky texture, I mince the pork just once then immediately mix the other ingredients in by hand. This allows the flavours to merge slowly and gently- a process that continues overnight as the mixture is rested. Now comes the fun bit. I load up my Italian sausage maker with natural casings, put in the meat mixture and become a one-man sausage factory, forming each and every chorizo (which is why no two are the same size). They are then left to hang to further enhance the blend.

Chorizo

Chorizo español (Spanish chorizo), pronounced "cho-ree-tho", is a spicy Spanish sausage which can be bought fresh or cured and is a popular cold meat in Spain, eaten all over the country. Fresh chorizo is fried or grilled and then eaten on its own or with bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also makes a popular "tapa" (small snack). It can be added to pasta or rice dishes, casseroles or hotpots, and is delicious as a pizza topping or just barbecued. Chorizo can be mild or very hot, depending on the area it comes from and the taste of the buyer.

Why does my chorizo taste so good? Simple. I use only the best ingredients.
I chose the free-range pork of Murrellen ( www.murrellenpork.co.nz) from Ashburton because of its incredible texture and flavour. The other most important component is the Spanish paprika (capsicum annum) known as pimentón in Spain. This gives chorizo its characteristic flavour and colour. I blend my own using both a mild sweet paprika and a smoked hot paprika from Muñoz y Pujante (www.munozypujante.com). Also added are salt and NZ grown fresh garlic- nothing else. My chorizo has no gluten, nitrates or preservatives.

I do all the processing myself. To give my chorizo its distinctive chunky texture, I mince the pork just once then immediately mix the other ingredients in by hand. This allows the flavours to merge slowly and gently- a process that continues overnight as the mixture is rested. Now comes the fun bit. I load up my Italian sausage maker with natural casings, put in the meat mixture and become a one-man sausage factory, forming each and every chorizo (which is why no two are the same size). They are then left to hang to further enhance the blend.