Egg, Chorizo, and Tomato Tortilla

Egg, chorizo, and tomato tortilla just about done cooking.

I have three papers due this week. Short papers, but still three different topics to think and write about. Tonight's paper was on Jack Kerouac's Introduction to Robert Frank's The Americans. Tomorrow night it's Cartier-Bresson. But I'm still thinking about last night's dinner.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was looking to make something North African and Joe suggested using the chorizo we had as a substitute for merguez. Mmmmm.... merguez. I may have to learn how to make my own merguez because the mere thought of it makes me swoon. But not having merguez, I went with the chorizo, which is itself its own kind of wonderfulness. The resulting dish probably wouldn't be classified as North African, but this was inspired by a recipe in From the Lands of Figs and Olives.

I served it up with slices of toasted and buttered pumpernickel bread and the previously mentioned carrot and olive salad. I used a 12 inch skillet, which made for a rather thin tortilla. Next time I using my 10 inch skillet. Joe and I both agreed that this tortilla would make a fantastic breakfast dish. I'm thinking about making it again tomorrow because I still have a bit of chorizo that needs to be used before it goes bad and the dish was just that tasty. Unless a better idea comes to mind...

Eggs, Chorizo, and Tomato Tortilla adapted from From the Lands of Figs and Olives

1/4 C olive oil

1/2 lb. chorizo, cut into chunks

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp caraway seeds

2 large tomatoes, cut into eights

1/4 C. water

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

Heat oil in frying pan over high heat until shimmering hot. (Use a 12 inch skillet for a thin tortilla, and a smaller one for a thicker tortilla.) Add sausage, garlic, and caraway. Stir frequently until sausage is lightly browned.

Add tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. This can take 10 minutes or so. With chorizo, after the water is absorbed/cooked off, you'll have a fair amount of oil in the pan. I guess you could drain some of it off. I didn't. There's too much flavor in that oil!

Break eggs into a bowl and whisk briskly. Pour into sausage mixture. The original recipe says to stir gently over low heat until eggs are done. I prefer to stir very little at all and let the mixture set like an omelet or Spanish tortilla. To get the top of the eggs to cook, I put a lid on the pan to trap the heat.

The original recipe calls for:

- Polish, Italian, or similar sausage. I suspect this is a substitution for merguez.

- 2 sweet bell peppers with seeds removed and cut into 1/2 inch strips

- and uses only 3 eggs

The bell peppers are added after the tomatoes cook and the water is absorbed, and the mixture simmers for 10 minutes more. The eggs are stired gently, making a scrambled-egg dish instead of a tortilla-style dish.

Egg, chorizo, and tomato tortilla on pumpernickel toast

Comments

[thu]

That looks yummy. *drool*

[sherri torr]

i'm hungry for it just from the pic! i have made the same style of dish (also using the lid to trap heat) w/ leftovers like roasted potatoes and added ham and cheddar cheese - my favorite breakfast.

[Gustad Mody]

that looks awesome, i love chorizo!

[CookingChat]

I'd be more inclined to think about that meal than what Kerouc had to say. He didn't eat so well On the Road, as best I can recall.