One Local Summer Week 2: Chorizo Bread Pudding
Monday, June 15, 2009 at 9:11PM
This week, I was hardly able to stop and think, let alone plan and prepare a complex meal for the challenge. So, it became a test of a well-stocked pantry. I made a Chorizo, Onion & Chevre Bread Pudding with some ingredients that have been stored well since my last trip to the farmers market. To complement it and give us some color, I marinated carrots and radishes for a crunchy side salad.
For the bread pudding, I picked up some natural dried chorizo from a local natural grocery. The chorizo was made in Pascoag, RI which is a bit farther than I usually source, but I could get there and back in a day if I needed to, and frankly, that night, I was desperate! The onions and bread were from the farmers market. The bread was organic multi-grain harvest bread from Bread Alone Bakery, a regular at the market. I ended up using about 2/3 of a loaf and probably could have used more.
Once the sausage and onions were sauteed and bread was cubed, I combined 4 local organic free-roaming Nature's Yolk eggs with 2 cups of milk (from Trader Joe's - a big fail, but fortunately I used it up, so I have to work harder next time), sea salt, cumin and paprika. I also crumbled in 6 ounces of Coach Farm Black Pepper Goat Cheese. The best part, in my opinion, was the addition of a medley of chopped rosemary, greek basil, sage and parsley all from my budding herb garden.
I combined the bread mixture and the egg mixture in a casserole and baked it for about 60 minutes at 350F until set and golden brown. The herbs grew nice and fragrant and the chorizo really permeated the custard. I debated doubling the chorizo because it's so good, but these proportions really worked to maximize flavors without anything stealing the show (1 cup chorizo, 1 1/2 cup chopped caramelized onion and about 3/4 cup chopped herbs).
To complete the experience, I opened a bottle of Benmarl Winery Zinfandel. Benmarl is a Hudson Valley winery that I discovered at the Hyde Park farmers market last weekend. They typically grow their own grapes, but since Zin isn't really native to the Hudson Valley, they do source these grapes from California. It's not 100% local, and I do have their Slate Hill White which is a blend of grapes that are sourced locally. The chorizo really called for a big fruit-forward wine, however, and the Zin was ready to play. This Zin has tons of purple fruit on the nose and in the mouth, with a jammy smooth mouth feel. There is a good amount of heat which could be off-putting, but it really complemented the creamy, spicy textures and flavors in the bread pudding.
Farmers Market: onions, bread, carrots, radishes
Homegrown: greek basil, rosemary, parsley, sage
Provisions: Daniele natural chorizo
FreshDirect: Coach Farm Black Pepper Chevre
Pantry Items: olive oil, sea salt
Fail: milk (organic, not local)
Reader Comments (3)
ok, very, very cool. we did chorizo bread awhile back, but never thought of chorizo bread pudding. this could be an awesome side dish to some grilled fish.
Great recipe! I have some local chorizo so I am totally going to try this out. Kudos.
leendaluu
www.leendaluuwitsend.blogspot.com
I totally recommend! I'd love to hear how other versions turn out. I'm glad there are others out there interested - I *love* chorizo.