Spanish Cuisine
Chorizo a la Sidra
Soft cooking chorizo simmered in dry Asturian cider until the sauce turns glossy and paprika-red, a sidrería classic that needs only bread.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
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History & Origin
Asturias, on Spain's green northern coast, is cider country; apples have been pressed there since before the Romans arrived, and the region's sidrerías pour natural cider from bottles held high overhead (the escanciado) to wake it up on its way into the glass. The kitchens of these cider houses built a whole repertoire around the bottle, and chorizo a la sidra is the simplest dish of the lot.
The dish depends on two Asturian staples meeting in one pan: soft smoked chorizo from the region's chimney smokehouses, and dry, still cider with sharp acidity that cuts the sausage's richness. It spread from the sidrerías to tapas bars across Spain, but it started as farmhouse cooking and still only asks for two ingredients and a flame.
Ingredients & Instructions
- Prick each piece of chorizo a few times with a knife tip so the fat and paprika can escape into the sauce.
- Place the chorizo in a cold, wide pan or cazuela over medium heat. Let it sizzle for 4–5 minutes, turning, until it releases its brick-red oil and browns lightly at the edges.
- Pour in the cider (it will hiss and foam) and add the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, turning the pieces now and then, until the cider has reduced to a glossy sauce stained red with paprika fat and the chorizo is cooked through.
- Serve straight from the pan, sauce and all, with plenty of bread. It should be eaten hot, ideally with more cider in your glass.
Notes
Use fresh cooking chorizo (soft, raw), not the firm cured slicing kind; cured chorizo turns leathery when simmered. A dry, still cider is closest to Asturian sidra; avoid sweet carbonated ciders, which turn the sauce sugary.