Firstly, a little background.
A plancha is a large, solid cast iron flat grill that the Spanish love to cook on. You can obviously use a pan, bbq or oven as well. But there’s a reason for a large cast iron grill - it holds the heat and disperses it more consistently and it doesn’t get flames burning the sausage!
Only use a medium heat. Chorizo a la plancha doesn’t like high temperatures. If in doubt, reduce the temperature a little more and cook a little longer. You’ll get a far superior flavour.
There’s no requirement to prick the sausage, nor use any oil (or seasoning). Everything is there for you - we semi-dry the sausage, so the excess moisture is removed (to intensify the flavour) and there’s sufficient natural pork fat to cook with.
Put the grill/plancha or pan on to a medium heat. Place the chorizo on and gently colour each side and cook through. Takes typically around 6-8 minutes. Leave it to rest a couple of minutes. Please don’t rush it. Good flavour takes a little time.
Low and slow is the mantra!
Chorizo a la plancha menu ideas.
Get maximum flavour and texture - don’t over cook as it will become “crumbly”.
Slice the chorizo, fry and add it at the end of cooking a risotto, or add it at the end to pasta sauces to cook through. Tomato based sauces are great. Add some peppers or olives. Delicious.
In pasta or risotto.
Some combinations that you might wish to try:
Tomato, fresh garlic and rosemary, chorizo
Chickpea, chorizo and lemon (use the zest!)
Roast celeriac, onion, chorizo and thyme
Chorizo, clams (or mussels), leek, white wine
Roast peppers, garlic, almonds, chorizo
Chorizo, spinach and prawn
Chorizo, peas, mint, chilli
Artichoke, chorizo, mushroom
Roast fennel, chorizo and tomato
Raciones. Tasty dishes.
New potato salad, chorizo, aioli, crisp onion.
Grilled chicken, chorizo, beans, almond sauce
Mussels, chorizo, tomato, capers, fennel
Brussel sprouts, chorizo, walnuts
Monkfish, chorizo, spinach, lemon
Chorizo, fried eggs, peppers, olives
Silverbeet, chorizo, Cabrales (blue cheese)
Sopa de Chorizo y Pescado. White fish and Chorizo soup.
400g firm white fish, sliced
3 chorizo a la plancha
450g diced waxy potatoes
1 diced red pepper
1 T diced sun-dried tomatoes
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml fish or vegetable stock
small bunch chopped Italian parsley and 2-3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
Slice the chorizo and fry over medium heat, remove from the pot (retain the chorizo oil in the pot). Add the potatoes, pepper, bay leaves and sundried tomatoes. Cook for 5-7 minutes to bring out the flavours. Add the tinned tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer for around 15-20 minutes (till the potatoes are par cooked). Add the chorizo and fish to the soup. Simmer for 3-4 minutes till fish is tender and cooked through. Add chopped parsley, taste and season accordingly. Leave to stand for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with fresh barra or baguette.
Chorizo a la plancha y patates. Chorizo and potatoes.
Yep, that’s it. And a little extra virgin olive oil. Nothing else. So simple, so easy. So good.
Turn the oven on fan bake or equivalent to 200ºC.
Peel some Agria potatoes. Cut them into slices or wedges so they’re all the same size and will cook at about the same time (~30 minutes).
Place the potatoes on the roasting tray. Place whole Chorizo a la plancha placed on top of the potatoes (you might need a few sausages here. Usually there’s never enough). Drizzle over a little olive oil and coat the potatoes and chorizo. And yes prick the chorizo to get the lovely juices to coat the potatoes (it’ll be even tastier).
Place the tray in the hot oven. Cook for around 8 minutes - the chorizo should be just cooked through and juices being released from them. Place the chorizo aside, mix the juices all over the potatoes and place them back in the oven to continue roasting and cook through.
Simply warm up the sausages again on top of the potatoes once the potatoes are cooked through.
Great with a fresh green salad, almonds and olives. So good.