Chorizo Pizza With Peppers Manchego Food

CHORIZO PIZZA WITH PEPPERS & MANCHEGO

Steps:

• Prepare the dough following the instructions in our basic pizza dough recipe in 'goes well with', right.
• Thickly slice the chorizo and pan-fry until crisp. Remove and set aside. Cook one side of the pizzas.
• Crush 2-3 of the tomatoes with your hands and drain in a sieve, then spread on the cooked side of the pizzas. Top with both cheeses, the pepper and chorizo. Season and add chilli flakes if you like it hot. Grill, covered, until the cheese is melted. Finish with the spinach leaves and shavings of manchego.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CHORIZO AND MANCHEGO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and chorizo. Cook until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up the chorizo with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, salt, pepper and chile flakes, and saute until the onions become translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool slightly. Add half of the Manchego, the breadcrumbs, half of the parsley and the cream cheese. Stir well to mix everything evenly. Using a medium spoon, carefully stuff each of the piquillo peppers with the filling. Arrange the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining Manchego. Bake in the center of the oven until the cheese melts and is slightly bubbly around the edges, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a platter and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley to serve.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS WITH CHORIZO, MANCHEGO, AND ALMONDS (SPAIN)

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Put the peppers on a broiler pan and broil them until they are black on all sides. Remove them from the broiler, put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap and let them cool. Using your fingers scrape off all the black char from the outside of the peppers; use a paper towel if needed to assist with this. Remove the stem and seeds and cut the peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips.
• While the peppers are cooling, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the chorizo and cook until it is crispy on all sides. Remove from the pan to a cutting board and finely chop.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, and pimenton. Season with salt, to taste. In a large bowl toss together the roasted peppers, chorizo, almonds, arugula, and a little of the vinaigrette. Add the vinaigrette in stages to make sure the veggies are well coated but not overdressed. Taste to check the seasoning. Arrange on a pretty serving dish and sprinkle with shaved manchego and scallions. OLE!!

SHRIMP AND CHORIZO PIZZA WITH MANCHEGO CHEESE, TOASTED GARLIC, AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°F. Put a pizza stone or a baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat it along with the oven for at least 20 minutes.
• Put a large skillet over high heat and coat it with the oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for only 10 to 20 seconds, until it just begins to lightly brown. You have to keep moving the garlic around the pan so it doesn't burn; if it does, start over because nothing is worse than the flavor of burnt garlic. Quickly add the escarole and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning the escarole over with the spoon, until it wilts, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, turn out onto a large plate or baking sheet, and allow to cool. If the escarole looks too wet, transfer to a colander and drain in the sink.
• To prepare the pizza, dip the ball of dough into a little flour, shake off the excess, and set on a clean, lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough with your hands, turning the ball as you press down the center. Continue spreading the dough into a 10-inch circle with either your hands or a rolling pin. Leave the dough slightly thick so the topping does not seep through.
• Dust a pizza paddle with flour (if you don't have a paddle you can use a rimless cookie sheet as a substitute) and slide it under the dough. Lightly brush the outer edge of the dough with oil to create a sheen on the surface of the crust. An important tip: take care not to get any oil on the pizza paddle or pan, or else when you try to slide the dough off , it will stick.
• Spread the cheese evenly on the pizza, leaving about a 1/4-inch border. Distribute the shrimp and chorizo evenly over the cheese. Spread the escarole evenly over the top.
• Slide the prepared pizza onto the hot baking stone and bake until the crust is nicely browned, roughly 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice with a pizza cutter.
• Ingredient note
• Escarole
• A wonderfully versatile green, escarole remains one of those vegetables that people aren't sure how to prepare. You can eat escarole raw in a salad, and I love it that way, especially with Creamy Parsley Dressing (page 87), but it's at its best cooked. It's less bitter than its cousins radicchio and chicory, and sautéing it mellows out the flavor, making it sweet and vibrant. Escarole can be pretty sandy when you take it home from the market; luckily it is easy to clean. Cut the escarole crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips and put it in a large bowl of water. Swish the water around; the sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the escarole out with your hands and put on a kitchen towel to dry. That's it!