One of the first recipes I learned to cook, thanks to its simplicity, is this dish of peas with chorizo that my mother often makes. It’s quick and easy to prepare, yet hearty and full of flavor—especially if you choose a good-quality chorizo. And it is precisely through this ingredient that we will travel back a few centuries in time to discover its origins.
A Renaissance Recipe Book
El Manual de mujeres en el qual se contienen muchas y diversas reçeutas muy buenas — a Renaissance manual of cooking and remedies — is one of the oldest books to mention chorizo. However, at this stage, it had not yet incorporated the paprika that gives it its characteristic flavor and red color. In fact, according to this book, it was made similarly to Roman or medieval-style sausages, based on spices like garlic, pepper, or cloves, and sometimes colored with other substances.
The original recipe that appears in this manual says:
Reçeuta para hazer choriços
Carne de puerco magra e gorda picada, harina muy çernida, ajos mondados, clavos molidos, vino blanco, sal la que fuere menester. Massarlo todo con el vino e después de massado, dexarlo en un baso cubierto un día natural. Y después henchir las tripas de vaca o puerco, qual quisiéredes, desta massa e ponerlas a secar al humo.
Source: Biblioteca virtual Miguel de Cervantes
Recipe to make chorizos
Minced pork meat, both lean and fat, finely sifted flour, peeled garlic, ground cloves, white wine, and salt as needed. Knead it all together with the wine and, once kneaded, leave it covered in a vessel for a full day. And afterwards, fill the beef or pork casings—whichever you prefer—with this mixture and hang them to dry in the smoke.
Translation
The Arrival of Paprika
Paprika has long been an essential spice in Spanish cuisine. The most highly prized on the Iberian Peninsula is Pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika). It is cultivated in the region of La Vera, in Extremadura, western Spain.
The pepper plant, the raw material used to make paprika, originated in the Americas and was brought to Spain from the Caribbean by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century. As a result of the navigator’s close and devout relationship with the monks of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, they were the first to receive and cultivate these seeds in the province of Cáceres. Over time, its cultivation spread to other regions such as Murcia, La Rioja, and Andalusia. Furthermore, one of the main reasons for this rapid expansion across the peninsula was the need for an accessible, cost-effective alternative to highly prized black pepper, whose lucrative trade was controlled by Portugal.
A botanical curiosity
At first, pepper plants were considered a mere botanical and medicinal curiosity. Later on, throughout much of the 16th century, peppers were consumed mainly fresh, as a garden vegetable or minor seasoning. It was during the 17th century that pepper cultivation expanded on a massive scale in specific regions such as La Vera (Cáceres) and, later, Murcia. It was also during this century that drying and milling techniques—and paprika mills—were perfected, leading to the widespread use of the spice to preserve and color meat, giving birth to the red chorizo we know today.
Today, while in many regions paprika is dried using hot-air industrial systems or directly in the sun, what sets Pimentón de La Vera apart is its traditional wood-smoke drying process. Therefore, this unique smoke-curing method is precisely what makes it so highly prized in the culinary world.
Peas with Chorizo
2
raciones10
minutes25
minutesIngredientes
500 g green peas
300 g chorizo (spicy or mild, to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
4 cloves garlic, sliced
8 cl extra virgin olive oil
10 cl white wine
Instrucciones
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and chopped chorizo.
- As soon as the chorizo starts to render its fat, and before the garlic turns golden, add the frozen peas (previously rinsed under hot water to bring them to room temperature).
- Season with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence, stirring well to combine the flavors.
- Cook the peas over medium heat for about 5 minutes, pour in a splash of white wine, and lower the heat slightly, letting it simmer and reduce for another 15 minutes.
- Serve accompanied by a thick slice of good crusty, rustic bread.
Vídeo de la receta
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