Dear TEAM: There are a lot of recipes that have the sausage called
chorizo. Can you tell me where in Saskatchewan you can buy it? – B.K.,
Shipman, Sask.
Dear B.K.: I called some butchers in our area to find a reply to your
question. Prairie Meats has chorizo and will order it in. The address
is 2326 Millar Ave., Saskatoon, S7K 2Y2, 306-244-4024.
Searching for information on the worldwide web, I found out a little
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more about chorizo. It is a chili and garlic flavoured sausage
originally derived from the Spanish chorizo sausage, but evolved over
the last few centuries to be distinctly Mexican.
Chorizo is commonly made of pork, but in Mexico it can also be made
from young goat, wild pig, venison and occasionally beef.
It is a fresh sausage, so cook it thoroughly. It is highly flavoured
and a little goes a long way. It is convenient if it is wrapped and
frozen in small packages.
Chorizo is great for breakfast. Thaw out a package, fry it up lightly
while breaking it up, and when fried, scramble in a few eggs. This is
wonderful by itself, or with tortillas.
Instead of the eggs, you can add a cup of Mexican beans to the fried
chorizo. Mash them well while they fry, and you have frijoles refritos
con chorizo, which is good eaten like grits or potatoes, or as a
filling for tacos, burritos or sandwiches.
Chorizo is also good to flavour up chili, a stew, or anything else that
could use a Mexican bite.
I found two recipes for making chorizo.
Homemade chorizo
1 clove garlic
3 teaspoons dried 15 mL
oregano
1/2 cup distilled white 125 mL
vinegar
1/2 cup chili powder 125 mL
1/2 cup water 125 mL
21/2 pounds ground 1.25 kg
pork
Mix well in a blender the garlic, oregano, vinegar, chili powder and
water. Pour mixture over the ground pork in a bowl.
Cover and refrigerate all day. Pour off any water that accumulates.
Refrigerate or freeze for future use.
Source: www.allrecipes.com.
Mexican chorizo
2 pounds ground pork 1 kg
31/2 teaspoons salt 17 mL
6 tablespoons pure 90 mL
ground red chili
6-20 small, hot, dried red
chilies, crushed
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry 30 mL
leaf oregano
2 teaspoons whole 10 mL
cumin seed, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh 5 mL
ground black pepper
11/2 teaspoons sugar 7 mL
4 tablespoons cider or 60 mL wine vinegar
21/2 tablespoons water 40 mL
Have everything cool and place all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Break up the meat and sprinkle evenly with the rest of the ingredients.
Cut in with two forks until evenly mixed, then knead a bit with your
hands until well mixed.
At this point the chorizo will keep for a couple of weeks in the
refrigerator, or let it season for a couple days in the refrigerator,
then wrap it in small packages, (four ounces is about right for two
people), and it will freeze fine for months. It can also be stuffed
into casings and smoked like any other pork sausage.
Source: www.premiersystems.com/recipes/mexican.
How to deal with loss
None of us is immune to losses. When we think of losses, we tend to
think of the loss of a loved one by death. But it might be loss of a
pet, a career, a relationship or a future that you had imagined would
be a certain way.
All losses deserve to be honoured, experienced and expressed. When we
minimalize and don’t understand or honour these losses, it is sometimes
referred to as disenfranchised grief. Losing our elders is always
difficult. This week I heard a statement to treasure: “When we lose an
elder in our family or community, we lose a library.”
There is no right or wrong way to mourn. It’s an individual process,
and it doesn’t start and stop just like that.
Research suggests that the ability to share our feelings and stories of
loss with others is healing. Survivors of trauma who are able to
confide in others show improved psychological and physical health, and
report feeling less depressed.
I appreciate the new approach to coping with grief that Robert A.
Neimeyer writes about in his book Lessons of Loss: A Guide to Coping.
The book is about losses, how we react to them, and how we can adapt to
them. All change involves loss, just as all losses require change.
Neimeyer considers grieving an active process of change or
transformation – you will never be the same. Things have changed. Your
life has changed. He talks about “relearning the world,” one that has
been forever changed by the loss.
Here are his 10 steps to adapting to loss:
- Take little losses seriously. It prepares you for larger losses. The
death of a goldfish, dog or kitten is a teachable moment for children
on the meaning of death and its place in life.
- Take time to feel. Build in quiet time to be alone and undistracted.
Journalling helps many.
- Find healthy ways to relieve stress, such as exercise, relaxation or
prayer.
- Make sense of your loss. Trying to get rid of painful images only
gives them greater power.
- Confide in someone. Burdens shared are not as heavy. Accept caring
gestures and listening ears.
- Let go of the need to control others. Don’t try to force others to
mourn your way.
- Find creative ways to memorialize your loss in a personal and
significant way.
- Allow yourself to change. Find the growth opportunities amid your
loss.
- Reevaluate your life priorities, and apply what you have learned in
future relationships. For example, reach out to others in need.
- Examine your spiritual convictions. Review and renew your beliefs,
and seek a deeper and well-tempered spirituality.
Reaching out to others
Many people struggle with how to reach out to a mourner. Here are some
suggestions.
- Don’t say “You’re doing so well.” That may force them into a role
where they can’t let you down. Don’t tell the mourner what she “should”
do, indicating a sense of incompetence.
- Do open the door to communication by asking, “How are you feeling
today?” or “How’s it going?” Listen 80 percent of the time and talk 20
percent of the time.
- Don’t say “call if you need anything.” Vague offers are interpreted
as meant to be declined. Offer specific help and take the initiative to
call. Respect privacy if that’s what she wants.
- Don’t suggest that time heals all wounds, because loss requires
ongoing healing and doesn’t end. Expect future rough spots with active
attempts at coping with difficult feelings and decisions for months
following the loss.
- Don’t delegate helping to others. Your personal concern and help will
make a difference. Be there for the mourner and be open and caring.
- Don’t say “I know how you feel.” How could you? Each griever’s
experience is unique. Ask the mourner to share his or her feelings and
talk about your own losses and how you adapted to them. Although the
mourner’s coping style may be different, your self-disclosure will help.
- Don’t say things like “God works in mysterious ways.” It implies you
don’t care enough to understand.
- Do use appropriate physical contact, such as an arm around the
shoulder or a hug. Comfort with shared silence may be better than
chatter attempting to cheer the person up.
- Don’t try to hurry someone through grief. It takes time and patience
and cannot be done on a fixed schedule. Be patient with the griever’s
story and sharing memories of the lost loved one. Telling their story
may help them adapt to a healthy future.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of
four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care
of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
