If you need something comforting and warm on a cool evening, then this incredible Spanish chorizo and potato stew recipe is for you. It’s so effortless and quick to bring to the table, you will be enjoying a bowl of hot comfort food in no time.
Spanish food is well known for its use of fresh colorful ingredients from the Mediterranean, including olive oil, one of my favorite ingredients!
This chorizo and potato stew recipe, known simply as Joecas con chorizo, is no different, capturing a light and fresh flavor through easy-to-find, seasonal ingredients.
Easy Fresh Flavor
This Chorizo and Potato Stew recipe originates from Aguilar de la Frontera, a little town hidden within the Córdoba countryside. Due to its inland location, there is less fish than in other Mediterranean cuisines. Instead, there is varied use of vegetables and meat.
Nowadays, there are many variations of the chorizo and potato stew recipe, but one of the consistent ingredients is the use of olive oil due to the nearby Guadalquivir valley which is famous for its olive-rich land. Its olive oil is full of fresh, grassy, sun-drenched flavor – a taste of Spain.
Stew With Simple Ingredients
Besides olive oil bestowing this stew with healthy fat and freshness, the other ingredients are iconic of Spanish cuisine:
- Chorizo: This Spanish sausage is packed full of spicy smoked paprika which gives it its classic vivid red color and distinctly recognizable flavor – just a couple of pieces will transport you to Spain!
- Saffron: Spanish saffron is one of the most expensive spices on the planet! That is because this saffron is of the highest quality on the market, and only a few strands are needed to turn your stew buttercup yellow. As with the chorizo and other Spanish ingredients, a little goes a long way.
- Potato: This simple crop has always been ‘peasant food’ around the world, yet it provided the bulk of numerous dishes throughout history, and is still lovingly preserved today. In Spain, it is the main component in the country’s patatas bravas and their egg tortilla.
- Stale Bread: Many of Spain’s soups and stews are thickened with bread (more on this in a bit!)
- Sherry: The traditional fortified wine of Spain was considered to be the finest wine in the world during the 16th century, and is now coming into a revival with young Spanish connoisseurs.
How Do You Make a Stew With Bread?
Many Spanish recipes for stews and soups use bread, including sopa de ajo (garlic soup) which was created during the Spanish civil war when ingredients were difficult to find. It is used in much the same way in this chorizo and potato stew recipe.
Bread is an excellent method to thicken and add delicious savory flavor to a sauce or soup, and here’s how:
- Slice the bread and fry it generously until well-charred. The darker the bread, the more depth of flavor in the sauce (although don’t let it burn!)
- Put the fried bread in a blender with the garlic, parsley, saffron and vinegar. Blend the mixture as you trickle in the sherry to make a thick creamy sauce.
- Pour the sauce over your cooking potatoes and chorizo, mix together and cover with water.
Watch This Spanish Chorizo and Potato Stew Being Made
Transport yourself to Spain with this incredible Spanish chorizo and potato stew recipe!
Spanish Chorizo and Potato Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Slices French Bread Day Old
- 2 lb Potatoes peeled and sliced
- 1 lb Spanish Chorizo sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 4 strands Saffron
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Sherry or Dry White Wine
Instructions
- In a skillet, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and warm over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the two thick slices of bread until both sides are browned. Remove and set aside.
- Add the chorizo slices to the oil and fry each side until browned. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat.
- Add the peeled and sliced potatoes and fry until they are tender.
- Drain the oil from the pan, leaving the potato slices.
- In a blender, combine the bread slices, peeled garlic, parsley, saffron, salt, and vinegar.
- Trickle in enough wine so that mixture is a thick sauce. It should be the consistency of a thick alfredo sauce.
- Add the sauce to the potatoes.
- Add the chorizo and mix well.
- Add enough water to cover the potatoes and chorizo.
- Let cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve this stew immediately with a hearty bread.