Chorizo is a taste of childhood for Port man

When Juan Carlos Helmstedt and his wife Cathy DeMerit moved to the United States from his native Spain in 1991, there were many things he missed, but perhaps none as much as his favorite sausage, chorizo.

It was, he said, the taste of his childhood.  He spent summers at his aunt and uncle’s house, working on their farm.

“It was probably the happiest time of my life,” he said.

His aunt made chorizo, and the flavor haunted him, Helmstedt said.

“Her chorizo was absolutely the best I’ve ever eaten in Spain or anywhere,” he said. “I missed her chorizo in my kitchen and in my dishes.”

He tried the Mexican chorizo he found in the area, but it didn’t compare to his aunt’s, Helmstedt said.

So one day he went to Bernie’s Fine Meats and asked then-owner John Salchert if he could make chorizo the way Helmstedt’s aunt did.

“It took a few tries,” Helmstedt said, but Salchert got close. “He made it for Christmas for me and my friends, my Spanish friends.”

Word spread, and Helmstedt realized he might be able to sell the chorizo. He named his company Tia Paquita after his aunt.

The brand has grown through the years. Bernie’s couldn’t handle Helmstedt’s orders, so for years the chorizo was made by Kewaskum Frozen Foods. Today, it is produced by Quality Cut Meats in Cascade.

Tia Paquita chorizo is now available at a number of stores, including Sendik’s in Grafton and Mequon and Outpost Natural Foods in Mequon, and used in restaurants throughout the region, including Tello’s in Port Washington.

A complete story about Tia Paquito chorizo can be found on the business page in this week’s Ozaukee Press.

Following are some recipes featuring chorizo from Tia Paquita.

 

 

Baked Eggs With Chorizo

4 eggs

2 fresh or smoked chorizos

1/2 pound cooked peas

1/2 pound white or green asparagus, cooked

8 tablespoons tomato sauce

4 medium sliced baked red peppers

Layer tomato sauce, peas, red peppers, asparagus and sliced chorizo on four individual oven-resilient plates. On top of each, crack an egg, salt, then bake in a 350-degree oven until egg is done.

 

 

Alioli Potatoes With Chorizo

3 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut

5 to 6 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

Fresh or smoked chorizo

Sprig parsley

Cook potatoes until tender. Peel and cut into bite-sizes pieces.

Combine mayonnaise and finely chopped garlic. Stir potatoes and garlic mayonnaise together. Adorn with parsley and serve with grilled or fried chorizo.

 

 

Basque-Style Chorizo Omelet

8 eggs

2 fresh or smoked chorizos

2 green peppers

2 large onions

3 tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Parsley

Remove seeds from green peppers and chop with onions.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, then sauté pepper and onion until soft. Peel tomatoes, chop and add to pepper and onion mix. Add chopped chorizo, garlic and parsley, then season with salt.

When juices are absorbed, divide into four equal portions. Beat two eggs, add half the vegetable-chorizo mix, then pour into a lightly oiled omelet pan. Fry over medium heat until egg is done. Repeat.

 

 

 

Baked Pasta With Chorizo and Tomato Sauce

3/4 pound pasta, cooked

2 fresh or smoked chorizos

1/4 pound Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

28 ounces tomato sauce

Salt

Mix tomato sauce, half the cheese and the pasta, then place in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.

Chop chorizo into thin slices and spread over pasta, pushing the chorizo slightly into the pasta so it doesn’t dry out. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with pats of butter. Broil until golden brown.

 

 

Lentils With Chorizo

3/4 pound lentils

1 head garlic

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 to 2 carrots, chopped

2 to 3 potatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Salt

2 to 3 chorizos

2 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce

1 bay leaf, optional

Small piece of smoked shank, optional

Place all ingredients in a pot. Cover with water until it’s 1/2 to one inch above ingredients. Cook over medium heat until tender. Avoid stirring so you don’t break the lentils, but swirl pot occasionally to avoid sticking or burning. Add more water as necessary.

Cut chorizo into bite-sized pieces before serving.

 

 

Chorizo and Potatoes

3 pounds white potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 medium cloves garlic, chopped

2 fresh or smoked chorizos

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Bay leaf, optional

Sauté onion and garlic cloves in olive oil. Add potatoes and chorizo and sauté until sausage is browned. Cover with water., then add salt and bay leaf, if desired. Cook over medium heat about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Baked Rice With Chorizo

1 cup rice

1/2 pounds chopped pork

2 fresh or smoked chorizos, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 to 3 tomatoes

1 green pepper

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 head garlic

2 cups broth, warmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Heat oil in frying pan, then sauté pork until golden. Add chopped green pepper and sauté until tender. Add chorizo and peeled tomatoes and sauté lightly. Mix in the paprika, then add rice and stir together.

Place mixture in a casserole dish and cover with broth. Split the garlic and place in the middle. Bake in a 350-degree oven 30 minutes, until cooked.

 

 

Chorizo-Stuffed Eggplant

6 small eggplant

2 fresh or smoked chorizos

2 eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons bread crumbs

Flour

Olive oil

Salt

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise, then cook in boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain, remove pulp and smash pulp.

Chop chorizo and mix with eggplant pulp, bread crumbs and salt. Fill eggplant shells with mixture. Coat stuffed shells with flour and beaten egg, then fry in oil until golden brown.

 

 

Pasta With Mussels and Chorizo

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 chorizos, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 pound dried pasta such as campanelle

4 pounds mussels, cleaned, steamed, then shucked

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté chorizo and shallots four minutes, stirring, until chorizo is golden brown on edges. Add garlic and sauté one minute, stirring. Add wine and simmer five minutes, until liquid is reduced by half. Keep sauce warm.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, reserve one cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

Return pasta to pot and add sauce, mussels, parsley, cilantro and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mussels are heated through. Add more cooking water if pasta seems dry.

Toss pasta with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

Spanish-Style Oxtail Braised With Chorizo

6 pounds meaty oxtails, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 pound chorizo

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon sweet or hot Spanish smoked paprika

1 cup dry white wine

28 to 32-ounces whole tomatoes in purée, coarsely chopped in a food processor

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegars

Pat oxtails dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an eight or nine-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown oxtails in oil in batches without crowding five minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

Remove and discard casing from chorizo, then finely chop sausage in food processor.

Cook chorizo, onion, carrots, garlic and bay leaf in fat over moderate heat six to seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Add paprika and cook one minute, stirring. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up all the brown bits. Add oxtails with any accumulated juices and chopped tomatoes. Liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat and bring to a boil.

Cover pot and braise in the lower third of a 350-degree oven for three to 3-1/2 hours, turning once or twice, until very tender. Skim fat from sauce, then stir in parsley, cilantro, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Oxtails improve in flavor if braised two days ahead, adding parsley, cilantro, and vinegar just before serving. Cool, uncovered, then chill with surface covered with parchment paper or wax paper and pot covered. Remove any solidified fat before reheating.