Colombian Chorizo Skewers With Cilantro Pesto Food

GRILLED STEAK WITH CHICKPEA SALAD AND CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Season the steak with salt and pepper and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lightly brush the grill grates with olive oil. Grill the steak 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board to rest, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto: Puree the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, 3 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mini food processor or blender until smooth.
• Toss the chickpeas, carrots, scallions, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the pesto in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the steak against the grain. Serve with the chickpea salad and the remaining pesto.

CEDAR PLANK-GRILLED SALMON WITH CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• This recipe is for OUTSIDE gas or charcoal plank-grilling.
• For the Cedar Planks: I use UNTREATED 1 by 8 construction grade cedar cut to the length of the amount of salmon you wish to cook. (I cut mine in 10-inch lengths for 2 (8- ounce fillets)
• Soaking the planks: Pre-soak cedar planks for at least 1 hour, preferably longer or overnight. Weigh down planks with heavy cans or stones to completely submerge the wood in water.
• Lightly coat the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon on cedar plank skin-side down.
• Turn on your gas grill to high heat. Place planks (loaded up with salmon) on the grill and close lid. Your grill will now turn into an oven/smoker. Cooking time required will vary depending on the size of the salmon. Be careful when you are lifting the grill lid because the burning plank will produce a lot of smoke. Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible as not to lower the temperature inside the grill. When salmon is cooked, remove fish from plank and plunge wood into a bucket of cold water. Serve the salmon immediately with the Cilantro Pesto.
• Place first 4 ingredients in blender or small food processor and completely puree. Add lime juice, jalapeno, and salt and pepper, to taste.

EGGS COLOMBIAN

Steps:

• Crack the eggs into a bowl and add some salt and pepper. Beat with a whisk or fork until well mixed. Trim the ends from scallions and slice thin. You should have about 1/2 cup. Cut the tomato into 1/2-inch dice. You should have about 1/2 cup. Using a non-stick pan or a cast iron skillet, heat the oil until hot over a high heat. Add the scallion and tomato and a bit of salt and pepper. Saute until the tomato is broken down, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and scramble. Cook until just set. Lay the tortillas on a flat surface. Divide the eggs evenly between tortillas laying them in a strip from one side of the tortilla to the other, about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. Pull the bottom of the tortilla up over the eggs, tuck the tortilla into the egg until it feels snug and roll it up, like making a nori roll. Cut the rolls into halves or thirds. Serve immediately or reheat on a panini press before serving. This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

COLOMBIAN CHORIZO SKEWERS WITH CILANTRO PESTO ...

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree the parsley and cilantro with the extra virgin olive oil. Add in the garlic, pumpkinseeds, and cheese and pulse. Season with lime juice and salt. Set aside. Skewer 3 slices of chorizo lengthwise. Grill the anticuchos (chorizo skewers) till heated through, for approximately 1 minute on each side. Serve with the cilantro pesto. This recipe yields 6 servings. Description: "(Anticuchos De Chorizos)"

SWORDFISH SKEWERS WITH CILANTRO-MINT PESTO

Steps:

• To prepare pesto, combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
• To prepare skewers, combine lime rind and next 5 ingredients through 2 garlic cloves in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning bag once. Remove fish from bag; discard marinade. Thread fish and tomatoes alternately onto each 8 skewers; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning every 2 minutes. Serve with pesto.

CHORIZO, BLACK BEAN AND CORN QUESADILLOS

Steps:

• Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Add black beans, corn and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 - 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Spread cilantro pesto evenly on each tortilla; sprinkle with cheese . Spoon chorizo mixture on half of each tortilla. Wipe skillet clean.
• Cook, tortilla side down, in a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat 1 minute or until lightly browned. Fold tortilla in half over filling. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve immediately with remaining pesto.
• Pesto Sauce: Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth; stopping to scrape down sides. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

CHORIZO - COLOMBIAN STYLE

Steps:

• The casings:.
• 1. Soak the hog casings in 4 cups tepid water (90 degrees to start) overnight in the fridge. Some sausage experts may disagree but I soak the casings overnight and then, prior to stuffing them, I add about 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar per cup of water (4 tbs. in this case) and let the casings soak for the final 15 minutes. I have found that the vinegar makes the casings more pliable and translucent.
• 2. Rinse the casings thoroughly inside and out (simply slide the end of the casing over your faucet and run water through). Begin stuffing right away since the casings may become tough or burst if you let them dry too much.
• The stuffing:.
• 1. Cut the pork meat and the pork belly into very small cubes (approximately ¼ inch). This is the longest and most tiring part but don't be lazy; the more uniform your cubes are, the better the mixture will blend and the more evenly your chorizo will cook. Please, do not grind the meat!
• 2. Put the cubed meat in a large bowl and mix it well.
• 3. Add the finely chopped cilantro and green onions and mix well.
• 4. Add the rest of the ingredients (minced garlic, oregano, salt and vinegar). Mix well with your hands.
• 5. Finally, start adding the water gradually and mixing it with your hands. I normally add two cups, mix it and then add more water until the mixture becomes sticky but not runny. Continue to hand-mix for approximately ten minutes to make sure that the water is fully incorporated into the mixture.
• 6. This is where some other experts may also disagree but I let the stuffing mixture sit in the fridge overnight, covered. I honestly think that this allows all of the flavors to really soak into the meats and bring out the unique Colombian flavor in the chorizos.
• 7. Tie one end of the casing in a knot. I don't like to use thread because it gets stuck between my teeth. Stuff the casings and tie the other end. To make the links, I simply twist the stuffed casing two or three times every six inches or so (up to you on the link length). Stuffing is one of those trial-and-error kinds of things. Too tight and you may burst the casing as you twist it into links; too loose and your chorizo will get all wrinkly and have air pockets all over the place. I usually stuff one end of the casing fairly full and then very lightly at the other end. This way, I can start twisting from the heavy end, twist and allow the mixture to move along the length of the casing and fill in the light end. (Boy, I hope that made sense!).
• 8. After the links are done, use a pin or needle to poke three or four holes on each side of the link. This prevents bursting while cooking.
• 9. The final step is yet one more with which the experts may disagree. However, I most assuredly remember that all of the restaurants I visited as a child that served chorizo, cured the links for approximately three days. My "curing" consists simply of hanging the chorizos as horizontally as possible from hooks around the bay window frame in my butler pantry. If you decide to cure them, make sure that you place paper towels or newspaper on the sill to catch the drippings. Allowing the chorizos to dangle vertically will probably result in the twisted links unraveling somewhat.
• 10. Storage: My family loves chorizos so I really do not have to worry too much about storage. However, on the couple of occasions where I had to store a few links, they will keep perfectly in the refrigerator for up to 20 days. I have also frozen some of them and have had no problems thawing them out and using them normally.
• Cooking:.
• 1. My favorite cooking method is to put the links in a frying pan with enough water to reach about half way up the prone link. Turn your burner to low and allow the chorizo to cook slowly until all the water has evaporated, turning occasionally so all sides cook evenly. After the water has evaporated, the chorizo will look kind of whitish and opaque. Continue to fry until dark brown. The fat from the chorizo mixture will escape through the pin holes and will provide enough of a frying medium so that you do not have to add oil or any other frying agent.
• 2. Other methods include cooking them over charcoal, on your gas grill, boiled, skewered over a wood fire and, of course, cut into chunks as part of lentil soup and other dishes. Whatever method you choose, remember that chorizo should be cooked slowly and gently to avoid bursting the casings. Please come back in the future as I plan to soon upload my recipe for "sancocho" which, of course, includes lots of chorizo.