Episode 712: Chorizo Made Easy, Rick Bayless 'Mexico: One Plate at a Time'

Chorizo, the succulent pork sausage seasoned with chiles, spices and a touch of vinegar, is the “bacon of Mexico” – the perfect accompaniment for eggs and, like bacon, a versatile ingredient for cooking that can give any dish a serious head start on flavor. At his neighborhood Mexican grocery in Chicago, Rick shows us fresh-made chorizo sold at the butcher counter and talks about how it is made. Buying a batch of the sausage to take home, he quickly turns it into a Caramelized Onion and Chorizo to use for a taco filling. Then he transforms that full-flavored mixture into a dressing for a Chorizo Spinach Saladwith jicama, a Mexican-style take on the classic wilted spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. At the Medellin Market in Mexico City, he introduces us to green chorizo, a popular 20th-century innovation from the town of Toluca, made with fresh herbs and cilantro, now enjoyed all over Mexico. In the U.S., it’s not easy to find. So, in his home kitchen, Rick shows how to make it from scratch, and then puts it to use in a classic way:Green Queso Fundido, a warm fondue-like melted cheese dip. Then it’s back to Mexico City and the high-style Paxia restaurant where we get a look at the chef’s whimsical, thoroughly modern reinterpretation of chorizo and eggs: tiny quail eggs served on dollops of light, frothy chorizo mousse. That prompts Rick to share with us his own “chorizo revisited” signature at his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo – Seafood Chorizo, a delicate poached seafood sausage, seared and served over a tangle of salad greens.

Recipes of the episode:

[lghtange]

This guy looks younger in each new video!! It must be all the amazing Mexican food

[darrellcenteno]

Keep up the good work thank you. I wish you could’ve seen the supermarkets that I grew up in in San Antonio. Call Centeno supermarket. It was on the west and the south side of San Antonio. We closed our doors and 92 but we were open for 70 years. You would’ve loved our store. We had the best delicatessen with the foods that you’re explaining for Mexico too bad I don’t have anything to show you. It was way before internet. I have photos in a box but they’re in the attic and it’s way too hot here to get up in the attic. I’m in San Antonio Texas where is 114°?

[stephanie]

Rick Bayless, you're my favorite...😊

[andrewbird]

I make breakfast tacos all the time with soyrizo, the vegan version of chorizo, frying it with onions like you did in this vid and heating corn tortillas on a comal. I usually add some avocado slices to each taco. Sometimes I'll mix the soyrizo with cubed cooked potatoes, like they do in Mexico. I live in Sacramento, CA. Mexican markets are as ubiquitous as Starbucks here. I really enjoy shopping in them, they have a lot of things you don't find in regular supermarkets, and they are always the lowest price.

[FrazierMtnCheese]

Thank you Chef, love your videos and recipes ❤️

[jbthor]

I like Cacique brand chorizo. I make it with my refried pinto beans. Awesome smell throughout the house.

[necrosiskoc]

I absolutely love chorizo. I've made my own red chorizo many times, I'm going to have to make the green now for sure

[faithsrvtrip]

Appreciate the tips on peeling a jicama! Awesome! I spend my winters in east Texas and love the local stores and food options!

[toddlash]

Blown away by green chorizo! Thanks as always for sharing, chef Bayless. We ate an early dinner at Frontera last weekend on a vacation trip and the lamb was just incredible! Will you be featuring green chorizo anytime soon?

[rogertemple]

Always enjoy watching your videos and the food
feature from Mexico especially Chorizo it really looks
delicious and have a nice 4th of July Thursday.🇺🇲🌯🫔🇲🇽

[chinoyhealingfoodstravels]

Greetings from Redondo Beach 🇺🇸🇺🇸Nice culinary video🌷🌷

[wickcoin]

Shut dFront-Door//Open Patio-slide; expose all those delectable Chorizo flavors!

[Emerald_Acre_OH]

Your show is making me hungry! ( I just ate lunch an hour ago. It is going to be a long afternoon!)

[markphillips]

The Green Chorizo made it father south and is in San Cristobal in Chiapas too. I've bought it over the years, but never knew the reason for it being green. BTW Jicama makes a good substitute for Daikon (not easy to find in Chiapas) for Kkakdugi pickled radish and Chicken Mu. :)

[mapandcallsheet]

Hell yeah Rick . Just in time for 4th July weekend. Rick is the coolest white dude ever .

[Mths]

Rick, I’ve made so many of your dishes and watched all your videos, and I just gotta ask, how are you not 250 pounds? Lookin sharp bud!

[gerardobrown-manrique]

I understand Paxia in San Ángel is no longer open...

[mattbrooks]

Beware some of the "cheaper" kitchen items. I bought a tortilla press at a local grocer bc I left mine at a relatives house. Completely worthless as the thing wouldn't make tortillas nearly thin enough. The kicker was it cost more than my good one.

That aside, my favorite stores are definitely Mexican grocery stores. They reliably have fantastic meat counters and butchers.

[lhilare]

So delicious! Question, where did you get the cast iron stovetop chile roaster?

[hawghawg]

So Skip might join you now. He will have some extra time