The further into isolation we head, the more I find that I’m reaching for recipes that bring back comforting memories. I had the rather stark realization that even if we manage to get COVID-19 under control, it could be months or even years before borders return to normal. It hit hard like a swift kick to the stomach, it could be 18 months before I’m able to see my mom, siblings, niece and nephews again. I won’t go into the emotion of it all in this post, but I will say the realization sucked and the rollercoaster that followed was hard. So, I dug through an old recipe book and found this warm chorizo and tomato salad which brings back very fond memories from our cottage on a beautiful summer day.
I’ve been making this for years. In full disclosure, I definitely did not create this recipe; but I can’t for the life of me remember where I found it. I’m sure I’ve evolved it and changed it over time, but I wish I could remember the roots of it.
The dressing starts with grilling the chorizo to render out the fat, leaving paprika infused oil as the base. Next you further flavour the oil with fine shavings of garlic and then mix with red wine vinegar in the pan.
Be careful when you add the vinegar to the pan. It will spit and splutter briefly before settling down.
If you’re unfamiliar with chorizo, it’s a beautiful, bright-red cured pork sausage found commonly in Spanish cuisine. You can eat it with out cooking, or use it as flavouring in other dishes. It’s typically commonplace on Tapas menus around the world. Chorizo is flavoured with smokey paprika and then spiced either hot or sweet. For this recipe I prefer the sweet chorizo for pairing with the tomatoes.
How to make the dressing for Warm Tomato and Chorizo Salad:
Start by frying the chorizo on both sides until it’s well browned and the fat has rendered out.
The chorizo will start to brown and once crispy, remove it from the pan and drain on paper towel. Draining here is to keep the chorizo crispy.
Use the remaining oil in the pan to fry the garlic gently, being very careful not to let it burn. I recommend having the vinegar measured out and nearby when completing this step. Adding the vinegar to the pan will stop the garlic from cooking, but if you have to go looking for it when you realize you need it, it might be too late. Again, be very careful when you add the vinegar to the pan as it will spit a splutter.
Reduce by half, and then pour over your tomatoes and add shavings of Manchego cheese.
It’s uncomfortable not to know what the next few months looks like. It’s scary to not know how this situation will play out, particularly as it starts to take hold more and more in North America where our families are. I hope we see in a matter of weeks that social distancing has been as effective as we thought. I hope that by summer this is all a distant memory and we can all be together again. Stay inside, stay healthy and stay safe! xx