Chorizo Gravy with Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
Tex-Mex at breakfast: cheddar and jalapeño biscuits under a brick-red, gently spicy cream gravy made with fresh Mexican chorizo.
Method
Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips for , leaving pea-sized pieces.
Add in this stepAll-purpose flour (biscuits) 140 gBaking powder 1½ tspSalt (biscuits) ½ tspUnsalted butter, very cold, diced 55 g
ovenToss in the cheddar and half the jalapeño, then pour in the cold buttermilk and stir just until no dry flour remains. On a floured counter, pat it into a 13×10 cm rectangle 2 cm thick, fold it once, pat it out again and cut 6 cm biscuits.
Add in this stepCheddar, coarsely grated 50 gFresh jalapeño, seeded and finely diced ½Buttermilk, cold 110 ml
Set them touching on a lined tray, brush with melted butter and bake in the oven for , until golden with the cheese bubbling at the edges.
Add in this stepMelted butter (for brushing) 1 tbsp
ovenHeat the oil in a 24 cm pan over medium heat, add the onion and chorizo and cook for , breaking the chorizo up, until it is cooked through with no pink and the onion is soft. Add the rest of the jalapeño and cook 1 minute more. If there is a lot of red fat, spoon off all but about 2–3 tablespoons.
Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tspFresh Mexican chorizo, casing removed 180 gOnion, finely chopped ½Fresh jalapeño, seeded and finely diced ½
medium heatSprinkle the flour evenly over the pan and stir on medium heat for to cook out the raw taste.
Add in this stepAll-purpose flour (gravy) 3 tbsp
medium heatPour in the milk in three additions, stirring out any lumps, then simmer on medium-low heat for until the gravy coats a spoon. Squeeze in a little lime juice and season with salt; taste first, as chorizo is already salty.
Add in this stepWhole milk 340 mlLime ¼Salt (gravy) to taste
medium-low heatSplit the biscuits onto plates, spoon over plenty of gravy, crumble the cotija on top and scatter with cilantro.
Add in this stepCotija cheese (or feta) 20 gCilantro, chopped 2 tbsp
Cook's tip
Fresh Mexican chorizo is raw meat, so cook it all the way through. If you only have cured Spanish chorizo, dice it small, add an extra tablespoon of oil and fry it only briefly. For less heat, scrape out the jalapeño's white ribs and seeds carefully.
Cooking it at camp
At camp, shape the dough into flat rounds and cook them slowly in a covered cast-iron pan on low heat, turning once; the cheese crisps up even more. The gravy needs only one burner. Keep raw chorizo cold in the cooler.