Chorizos

Fresh Hot Spanish Sausages

Preparation info
  • Makes

    1¾ to 2 pounds

    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
Better Than Store-Bought: Authoritative recipes that most people never knew they could make at home

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

  • About

There are countless versions of this hot, spicy Hispanic sausage. So many, in fact, that we are fully prepared for accusations of inauthenticity. This, like all our homemade sausages, is a fresh sausage. So do not expect the taste of the more commonly sold Spanish smoked chorizo or the air-dried Latin version.

Ingredients

  • ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 5 to 8 small dried hot red peppers (each about 1½ inches long), seeds removed, or teas

Method

  1. Combine the cumin seeds, hot peppers or flakes, coriander, and cloves in a small pan and shake over moderate heat until the peppers are slightly toasted and the seeds start to crackle-about 1 minute.
  2. Combine the toasted seasonings with the sugar, salt, paprika, and peppercorns in a spice mill or mortar and grind to a coarse texture. Mix with the garlic in a bow