Midweek Food Musings: Grilled Chorizo Con Ají Rojo

Okay--yes! It's true--I'm off to Berlin next Monday, where I am sure to have fun travel adventures (always!) and also hope to find some fun new flavors for my repertoire. Actually, one of the dear friend's I'm visiting, Sabine Hueck (chef/author extraordinaire!) boasts a wonderful collection of her own native Brazilian recipes, as well as East Asian...and more. I'll be interviewing her, and sharing her insights, recipes--and passion--in the next couple of weeks!

The cover of Sabine's second book! 

Before I go, I want to share a recipe with you: This one is a perfect Memorial Day side dish--and it's great because it marries well with just about anything else you might serve on this great-for-barbecue weekend.

So this recipe just slightly adapted from the one in  Latin Grill! You can also use this ají rojo, fresh tomato sauce, with other grilled meats--and vegetables.

Photo by Dan Goldberg (Latin Grill photographer)

The trick with this dish is to get excellent-quality Colombian chorizo links.

Serves 4 

4 Colombian chorizo links

1/2 red onion, finely diced

Juice of 1 lime

1 medium-size red tomato or  8 grape tomatoes, diced (I've also used mini heirloom tomatoes--and they work very well!) 

1/2cup olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 habañero or jalapeño chile peeled, seeded, and finely diced

1 teaspoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves

Light a fire in a charcoal or gas grill. First prepare the ají rojo. (This can be done several hours ahead of time; keep it in the fridge, and bring it to room temperature just before serving.) In a large bowl, combine the onion, lime juice, tomato, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add the chile, chives and cilantro and stir well. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile,  place the sausages on the grill. Cook the sausages, turning every couple of minutes, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. (The grilling time will vary depending on the thickness of the sausages.)  Remove the sausages from the grill and place them on  a chopping board.  Slice each sausage into rounds (on a slight angle) and place on a platter, or onto 4 plates.Top with ají rojo, and serve.