Chorizo con Huevos

Since I’m on the Spanish tip right now, I figure why not continue with breakfast foods that are my favorite, that I’ve eaten for years that I think you might like as well!  Chorizo con huevos, is one of those favorites.  It’s a traditional Spanish breakfast dish that is typically made and served in a small (9.5 inch) clay cazuela dish that is handmade and glazed, that you are supposed to soak in water for a few hours prior to first use.  You can get them here.

My mother, knowing that it is one of my favorite meals, brought me two cazuela dishes from Spain and gifted me with them when I first moved out of my house.  Ever since she taught me how to make chorizo con huevos, it has continued to be a favorite of mine.  It is easy to make, satisfying and also helpful for a hangover.  The chorizo that I use for this dish is typically the dry cured kind that Goya makes. They come vacuum sealed in packages of two or four.  Back in the day, my parents decided to make their own chorizo.  I would go downstairs in the basement and there would be hanging chorizo everywhere, dry curing.  You can imagine what it smelled like down there- a combination of saffron and dried meat- which wasn’t the most savory. Thankfully, they’ve retired their at-home chorizo making.

If you happen to have some marinara or jarred spaghetti sauce in your house, this works just fine. This dish is pretty low maintenance, so just use what you have! The below uses the most basic tomato sauce as a base, which if this is what I’m using, I like to add some spices to for a better flavor.

Ingredients

•         Tomato sauce (8oz can)
•         1 egg
•         1 chorizo, sliced into rounds
•         ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
•         ¼ teaspoon of oregano
•         Salt & pepper to taste.

Directions

Put your cazuela dish onto your burner and turn the heat on to medium. You don’t need oil here because the chorizo will release a lot of oil when you cook it.  Add the chorizo and sear it on both sides. I happen to like my chorizo with a little bit of crunch, but you can cook it however you see fit.  

Crack your egg directly into the middle of the cazuela dish and then turn your heat to low.  The reason why you do this, is because it WILL splash as you cook it. 

As the egg continues to cook, spoon your desired amount of tomato sauce around the egg. For me, it’s about 4oz of tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with the garlic powder, the oregano, salt & pepper.  

Turn the heat off and allow your egg to continue to cook up.  Now, I happen to like my egg cooked on the well side, so I take my cazuela dish and pop it in the microwave for 45 seconds to really set the egg. If you take this step, be sure to tent the dish with a paper towel, so you don’t make a mess in your microwave, also pierce the egg with your fork prior so that it doesn’t explode in there! Serve with toast and enjoy a traditional Spanish breakfast!