Linguini with Clams, Fennel and Chorizo

Sometimes, an ingredient will pop into my head and for the rest of the day I’m thinking about what to do with said ingredient. It can happen most any time during the day.

This morning, I woke up thinking about clams.

I thought about clams all day long. I thought about fried clams, white clam sauce, red clam sauce, clams with potatoes, clam chowder, Clams Casino, clams steamed open in a savory broth. I felt like that guy in Forrest Gump that could recite every single shrimp recipe.

Driving home, I remember the chorizo in the fridge, not Groom’s homemade version as we finished the latest batch last week, but some from Niman Ranch so the chorizo is not slacking in the taste department. Sweet bell pepper and fennel that needed a home would be fabulous with the clams.

I could have gone to the store and gotten fresh clams, but I haven’t had the best of luck with those. One of these days I’ll grow up and give them another try, but for now, the cans would work fine for the clam sauce that was percolating in my head.

And such a fine clam sauce it is. Totally different from any I’ve had before. Sweet, spicy with a touch of heat from the chorizo.

A bit of this for dinner, a good night’s sleep and I’m ready for the next ingredient.

Linguini with Clams, Fennel and Chorizo

2 links chorizo sausage, remove the casing and crumble as best you can
(or use homemade chorizo and get enough for a scant ¾ cup of cooked sausage)
Couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, diced (save a nice piece of the fennel fronds)
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
2 cans clams, drained reserve juice
4 fat cloves of garlic, chopped
1 good sized tsp fennel seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
Linguini

Heat a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil in cast iron skillet. When hot but not smoking add chorizo and cook til nice and browned and releases the fat. Remove from the skillet.

Add the fennel, onion, red bell pepper and cook about 10 minutes til golden, then add the garlic and cook another ten minutes.

Heat water for pasta and start that process.

Add clam juice to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add the clams.
When pasta is done, add a ladle of pasta water to skillet and drain the pasta. Add pasta to skillet, combine well and cover and let sit for five minutes. Add the fresh fennel and serve.

Serves 3 generously.

Linguini with Clams, Fennel and Chorizo

Homemade Chorizo with Leeks, Fennel and Cannelini

The Chorizo Experiment

Phase One:

Coming off of my successful attempt at Merguez, I decided to take on the challenge of making my own chorizo.

I love chorizo.

It’s the sausage with the major kick to it. It’s a must have ingredient in paella and tapas and people are as passionate about their chorizo as they are about their wines.

If you start a discussion on chorizo and what you can do with it, people get worked up . “I only use such and such a brand.” and “don’t use that one it has blah blah in it and that’s not what goes in chorizo.”

Ok. Nice talking to you.

I’m not sure that I have had enough chorizo in my life to get that picky, but the section on sausage in Joyce Goldstein’s book, The Mediterranean Kitchen, has gotten my interest up in trying my hand at more sausage. And the idea of being able to reach into the freezer and pull out homemade sausages to go into my dishes is very appealing.

Ingredients purchased, the time came for THE CHORIZO EXPERIMENT.

I didn’t make it.

Groom did.

He has now become the official Chorizo maker here at the Red Brick Ranchero.

It took all of ten minutes. I’m not kidding. We took a bit of the spicy mix and sautéed it to see if we needed to correct the seasoning. Nope. Perfection. Feeling highly pleased with himself, Groom patted out 24 two inch patties, which we immediately froze for phase two of THE CHORIZO EXPERIMENT.

Phase Two:

Several nights later, we decided to embark on Phase Two of THE CHORIZO EXPERIMENT.

A craving for comfort food entered the picture. I took a pack of 4 chorizos out of our freezer and thawed them in their Ziploc baggy in cool water for an hour. A short time later, THE CHORIZO EXPERIMENT was complete. A fabulous pasta sauce was ready for its orecchiette and we tucked into something special, a collaborative effort that we’ll repeat often.

Chorizo
Adapted from The Mediterranean Kitchen by Joyce Goldstein

2 pounds ground pork, 1/3 the weight in fat
¼ cup sherry vinegar
2-½ tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp smoked hot pimenton
1-½ tbsp dried Turkish oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
½-¾ tsp cayenne pepper
1-½ tsp coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well with your hands. Fry a small patty as a test and adjust seasonings to taste.
Shape into 2 inch patties and freeze in batches of four in between sheets of waxed paper.

Makes 24 patties.

Homemade Chorizo with Leeks, Fennel and Cannelini

4 two inch patties homemade chorizo
2 small fennel bulbs, diced
1 medium leek, trimmed and washed and cut in small dice
½ medium sweet yellow onion, diced
1 14 ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
A couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces dried orecchiette, cooked while you’re making the sauce

Heat a large skillet and add a couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil. When oil shimmers, add leeks and onion to pan and cook for about 15 minutes til golden. Add fennel and cook about 10 minutes, until soft. Remove from pan.

Keep pan over heat, add a little extra olive oil if needed, and put in chorizo patties. Break up with fork and cook til done. Remove from pan and put in bowl with veggie mixture. Add can of tomatoes with their juice to hot pan. Be sure to stir well as they saute so they get all the chorizo flavored oil absorbed. Add the cannelini beans. If the sauce seems a bit dry, add a little hot pasta water and swirl around. Throw in the orecchiette and toss well.

Serves 3.

Homemade Chorizo with Leeks, Fennel and Cannelini

Merguez with Spinach and Golden Raisins on Couscous

Growing up,if someone said we were having sausage, I knew exactly what I would be eating. It would be made of pork, full of flavor and have a lot of salt and sage seasonings. Loved it. Later on I found out that tasty link sausage I loved had hog casings holding in the meat. Hog casings? I put that thought out of my head, or maybe to the side in my head and have enjoyed sausage for years.

I have read about making sausage, and have been intrigued by it, but I’ve got to tell you I am not into hog casings. Can’t help it. It isn’t in me. I like the idea of making your own sausages fresh and grilling them. No preservatives or additives and no hog casings. You can make small amounts and freeze them for quick additions to pasta or stews.

Merguez is the name of a Moroccan lamb sausage. Honestly, I’ve never had the real thing, only these. And we’re crazy about them! Talk about spice! The sensation of hot smoked Spanish pimenton, cumin, coriander and cinnamon combines well with garlic and cayenne pepper. I love the Italian parsley and cilantro in this as well. It’s fresh and bright and is complimented by the couscous and the sweet spinach with golden raisins. Be sure to make the yogurt sauce to go with this. It finishes the flavors beautifully.

Merguez
A Moroccan Lamb Sausage adapted from The Mediterranean Kitchen

1 pound ground lamb
3 fat cloves garlic, minced
About a ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
About a ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tbsp hot smoked Spanish pimenton
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
A good pinch of coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Take out a little bit and fry it until done so you can taste the seasoning and adjust.

You can grill this outside if you want or cook on top of the stove in cast iron skillet.

Pat the mixture into small 3 inch patties. Put on plate and keep cold in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Grill 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through. These freeze wonderfully. Put patty on waxed paper and top with another piece of waxed paper. Keep the paper in between the patties and put in Ziploc baggy to freeze. I freeze six and use six for two people.

Makes 12 small patties.


Yogurt Sauce

½ cup Greek yogurt
½ Meyer lemon, juiced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
About ¼ cup chopped fresh mint

Combine and let sit while you cook the sausages to allow the flavors to blend.
Makes ½ cup.

Spinach with Onions and Golden Raisins

1 pound fresh spinach, washed
1 good swirl extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet yellow onion, chopped onion
good pinch dried crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
good pinch ground cinnamon
1 grating fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup dried golden raisins

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces plain couscous, cooked according to package directions

Heat a good swirl of extra virgin olive oil heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add dried crushed red pepper and garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add spinach and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in golden raisins. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir butter into couscous and season with salt and pepper.
Plate couscous, spinach and sausages. Top with yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with a bit of lemon peel. If you have them on hand, slivers of sweet preserved lemons take this over the top.

Merguez with Spinach and Golden Raisins on Couscous