Recipe: Chorizo pasta - A classic, now with the Thermomix too

*You will find the non-Thermomix version of this recipe here*

Okay, so this may not be a classic to you (yet) but I grew up eating chorizo pasta, in fact every Wednesday growing up I would eat lunch at my grandma's house and I would always ask for Macarrones con chorizo, but I already told you that story here a while ago). To me (and every other Spaniard) this is a classic of Spanish "cuisine" (I write inverted commas as I am not sure anything I cook can be classified under that term).

It took several failed (ok, totally edible but not the exact same flavour) to get this chorizo pasta ready and I had to write it down so that I don't forget the timings for next time and what better place to have the recipe written somewhere safe that I actually remember than my own blog.

This is a quick, delicious recipe for the whole family and of one those cupboard meals that you can prepare any time (I know I do).

Update: Recipe amended on 23-1-2014, less steps and no olive oil as the chorizo melts nicely.

If you don't have a Thermomix, you will find my non-Thermomix version here.

Ingredients

• 150/200g onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 100 g chorizo (peeled and cubed or sliced to the size you want, I tend to make the most of it by quartering it first lengthways and then slicing)
• 3 tins chopped tomatoes (400 g each, 2 drained, one whole), you can use 2 tins if there's only 2 or 3 of you and don't want leftovers
• Oregano or mixed herbs to taste (I added probably about 1 teaspoon and a bit more for luck)
• Pinch of salt (not much the chorizo will give it plenty of taste)
• A couple of twists of the pepper mill
• Tomato purée

Cooked pasta. Preferably something with grooves or holes (I'm full of technical terms today eh!), like penne or twists, so that the tomato sauce can flood them with its wonderful taste. You can also serve it over sweet potatoes washed and halved and steamed in the Varoma while the sauce cooks. Or make sweet potato spaghetti and place them in the Varoma on top of your Thermie for the last 3-5 minutes of the sauce's cooking time. The sweet-savoury contrast is really good.

Grated cheese such as parmesan (parmiggiano reggiano) or even cheddar.

Equipment
TM31, chopping board for vegetables, chopping board for raw meat, a Spanish style appetite.

Method

1. Place the onion and garlic in the Thermomix bowl: 5 seconds, speed 5 (or 7 seconds, speed 5 if you like it chopped smaller).
2. Add the cubed chorizo: 7 minutes, Varoma, speed 1 (if your chorizo is quite soft use reverse, soft speed instead).
3. Add the chopped tomatoes (I removed the liquid of 2 of the tins and left 1 with all its contents). In total I had 960 g, pinch of salt, oregano, mixed herbs and a couple of squirts of tomato purée: 100º, 30 minutes, reverse, spoon speed. Cover with the basket (not the measuring cup).
4. (Optional and depends on how hungry you are) Preheat the grill or oven, make sure the pasta is very much al dente, mix it well with the sauce, spread it on an oven dish, grate lots of cheese on top, dot it with some butter and into the grill or oven it goes until it's all goldeny on top (I don't always have the time or the will for this last step and it is just as gorgeous without it).

Otherwise just serve with grated cheese and make sure you read on for tips and tricks.

With pasta twists and grated parmesan cheese

Hint: Make yourself a tomato juice with the liquid you removed from the
chopped tomatoes while you wait... or a bloody Mary of course. It's
totally up to you just don't forget about the pasta.

In fact, try to time the pasta so that it is cooked by the time the Thermomix finishes the sauce or after. It won't do the sauce any harm to wait for the pasta to be ready, just keep it warm. Always remember: keep the sauce waiting, not the pasta. The chorizo will keep infusing it with its taste while it's warm, the pasta will just get soft.

Tip: You can add sugar but I don't, it's all in the diversity of varying taste buds throughout the world and the fact that I avoid adding extra sugar to food.

Trick: Next time, at the same time as the chorizo add a good dash of red wine for a more intense flavour and, of course, drink the wine while nibbling on some Spanish olives while waiting for it to be ready.