One time I had found a great chorizo from my closest shopping mall (Ravattulan Citymarket in Turku). When I started to imagine, how to make something from it, I started to remember a vision, where this chorizo was in a tomato stew. I started to wonder, had I seen it in a dream, or was it in some Anthony Bourdain's series (like The Layover or Parts Unknown). I thought that it was a recent dream, that I had. But I have watched quite many of Anthony's series and they have influenced my way of cooking - "in a good way, I hope" - can you hear, how Anthony pronounces that? ;-) ].
Then I made this stew (first version was with sliced beet root cubes and corn from a can, instead of a summer squash and mushrooms). My wife and me, both enjoyed it and I have made it several times since. Not ever has it failed me so far. ;-)
After couple of times doing it, I got a thought, that I need to check if this is Jambalaya and started to check those Anthony's series, if I can find it from them, but no, I did not. So if someone knows, that this recipe is similar to any recipe in Anthony's series, then let me know. But until then, I still stick with my memory, that I saw this in a dream.
Because of Anthony's recent passing, I am publishing this recipe to my blog and hope it does honor to this great host, whom I miss a lot.
Ingredients:
Sri Lankan Chili
Cheese cumin
White pepper (very little)
Sichuan pepper (quite much)
Black pepper (a lot)
Premium Chorizo
Chantarelle mushrooms ("kantarelli" in Finnish)
Fresh chili
Summer squash
Waffle potatoes
Steps:
1. Slice pepper (preferably red) ("Paprika" in finnish), slice chilies, slice summer squash
2. Peel and slice Chorizo (premium quality)
3. Take two pans (common and sauce pan ("kasari" in finnish), use sauce pan for final stew and common pan to fry food)
4. Put extra virgin oil to both pans and put them on stove
5. Heat the common pan and put the sweet pepper there,
6. Put spices to sauce pan and start heating them (always keep lid on the sauce pan)
7. Fry sweet pepper so that their colour changes (to a bit orange) and they are ready
8. Put sweet pepper slices to sauce pan (remember to put the lid on)
9. Fry mushrooms in common pan (just a bit) and put them to sauce pan (remember to put the lid on)
10. Fry summer squash slices and add them to the sauce pan, when they are ready (remember to put the lid on)
11. Mix everything in sauce pan and put the lid on
12. The main ingredient is the Chorizo, fry the chorizo slices a bit from both sides in the common pan
13. When chorizo slices have a bit of colour change (but no black), they are ready to be put to sauce pan - so do it!
14. Add two packages of tomato sauce into the sauce pan and mix well
15. This is a special version: melted some superior Finnish blue cheese ("aurajuusto" in finnish) and added it to the sauce pan (half package)
16. Then boil the stew very well for a little while and then lower the heat
17. After that, add the chili slices (I used Manzano Orange and I have used Manzano Red and several other chilies, most of them have been 7+ in heat level)
18. Add more black pepper and mix well again
19. Let the sauce pan simmer for a 20 minutes
20. Put the waffle potatoes into the oven and heat them for 15 to 20 minutes (or as long as your potatoes require :-) )
21. When potatoes are ready, put them into a soup bowls (deep plates) and then serve the stew on top of them
Variations:
- Original one, use beet root cubes and corn, instead of a summer squash and mushroom (in steps 1, 9 and 10)
- Use chipotle sauce instead of fresh chili (this will make it very spicy) (in step 17)
- Fry slices of beef and put them into the stew (in step 18) (this is actually my most common version of this)
In memory of great food show host and storyteller, Anthony Bourdain.
