Aaron Sanchez's Chorizo and Cornbread Stuffing
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Try this recipe in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a month dedicated to honoring Hispanic Americans who have influenced the nation.
Excerpt from "Simple Food, Big Flavor"
"I have a tattoo on my right forearm that says "old school" in honor of my grandmother Aida Gabilondo. She was the first in my family's three generations of cookbook authors. She was the one who taught my mom to cook.
And, man, did she love chorizo, the red-tinted Mexican sausage that I'd put up against any other sausage in the world in a Most Delicious competition. When I was no taller than the kitchen counter, I'd watch her make her own and fastidiously pack identical portions of it, which she'd store in the freezer in an empty Coca-Cola box. Anytime she felt the urge, she'd dip into this treasure chest and pull out the perfect amount of chorizo to accompany her morning eggs.
In Mexico, you'll see salty, spicy bits of chorizo chilling with chunks of potato in tortillas when you order one of my favorite snacks, tacos con chorizo y papas. You'll see chorizo in sandwiches, stuffed in empanadas, and piled on top of thick tortilla-like fried dough called sopes. But just about any recipe that calls for sausage would welcome chorizo, and you'll find yourself using it in ways you never imagined."
Ingredients
Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo, breaking it up with a spoon and stirring occasionally as it cooks, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have browned, about 10 minutes. Add the crumbled cornbread and cilantro and gradually pour in enough of the stock so the stuffing is not too dry but at the same time not too wet. Stir gently and well.
Butter a small casserole dish. Spread the stuffing in an even layer. Bake until it's heated through and lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Serve right away, garnished with the cilantro and cotija, if desired.
Aarón on the Dish (and stuffing in general):
Crispy, crunchy, mushy, chewy, the combination of textures is amazing and so is the flavor. But nothing compares to the pairing of sweet corn bread and spicy, salty chorizo.
Recipe courtesy Aaron Sanchez from "Simple Foods, Big Flavor."
