I remember watching Rick Bayless make this green chile chorizo from Toluca, Mexico. It has always been tucked away in the back of my mind. When our Creative Cooking Group decided that June’s theme would be “color”. Pick a color (just one) and create a dish with the main ingredients being only that color. I immediately looked up the recipe.
I am not crazy for the hot & spicy…I am allergic to heat. When working with the chiles (peppers) I immediately started to cough, cry and turn beet red. What I do for my Creative Cooking Crew.
This recipe is a bit altered. I only used one Serrano chile and 2 Poblanos. The meat was under two pounds. I am copying the original recipe for you.
Green Chile Chorizo (Chorizo Verde)
Makes about 1 1/2 pounds (3 generous cups)
Recipe from Season 7 Mexico – One Plate at a Time
Ingredients:
1 large fresh poblano chile
1 or 2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 medium bunch of cilantro, tough lower stems cut off, the leafy part roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground pork (you’ll need pork that’s a little fatty – 25 to 30% – and preferably coarsely ground)
3 tablespoons spinach powder (available on the internet)
2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
1. Prepare the flavorings. Roast the poblano chile directly over a gas flame or 4 inches below a very hot electric broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Cool until handleable, rub off the blackened skin, tear open and pull out the stem and seed pod. Quickly rinse to remove any seeds or bits of skin. Roughly chop and scoop into a food processor, along with the serrano(s) and cilantro. Pulse until uniformly chopped, then run the machine until you have a coarse purée.
2. Finish the sausage. In a large bowl, combine the pork with the green seasonings, spinach powder, and the salt—your hand is the most efficient utensil for working the seasonings thoroughly into the meat. After forming the chorizo, refrigerate for several hours before frying.
For the green paella I cooked two cups of bamboo infused rice in 3 cups of chicken stock and two tablespoons of spinach powder and a teaspoon of salt. The rice was a light green, although it does not seem like it due to lighting in my apartment.
The vegetables were sauted in garlic and oil as not to lose its colors. Spinach, string beans, scallions (green parts only), green zucchini, green pepper, peas and asparagus were used.
A bottle of Portuguese Vinho Verde (green wine) and anyone who was not invited for dinner will be green with envy.
BUEN PROVECHO!
platanosmangoes.com 
Gosh Norma – that looks to tasty! Terrific interpretation of the challenge. Brava!
LL
A beautiful green dish for the challenge! Looks perfect for spring!
OK, yes, you can color me green with envy! I’m surprised you even handled chiles but the dish looks/sounds delicious and it was a great idea for the challenge. Muy bien hecho chica!
This is a very interesting dish! Looks so healthy and wonderful and TASTY! LOVES me some pork and chilies! But I have to ask, why the powdered spinach? I have never heard of it? Is it simply to provide a natural green food colouring? Does it add any flavour as well? Thanks Norma!
I believe Rick used it for color…so did I, but then I read the following (has no taste as I used it on the rice and did not taste any diffrent)
Spinach Powder
Also known as Spinacia oleracea, and Common Garden Spinach
Introduction
Although Spinach is usually thought of as a food product, it can also be used medicinally and for its nutritional properties. It is excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Constituents
The leaves contain Protein, Iron, Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Sodium, Folic Acid, Manganese, Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Beta-carotene, Potassium, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Carotenoids, Niacin, Chlorophyll, Antioxidants, Lutein, Phytochemicals, and Lipoic acid.
Parts Used
Seeds, leaf, and the above ground parts of the plant.
Typical Preparations
Powdered Spinach may be added to smoothies, stir fries, soups, casseroles, salad dressings, or other dishes. It can be encapsulated, and 1-2 capsules may be taken 1-2 times each day with water at mealtimes.
Summary
Spinach contains a plethora of nutritional and medicinal properties which help to strengthen our immune system, boost energy levels, and it provides our bodies with necessary vitamins and minerals.
Precautions
Those with a tendency towards rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition. The leaves of most varieties of spinach are high in oxalic acid.
Wow! Green Paella–this is a first for me. We do get the BEST green chorizos from Toluca in the market here. They would make you weep for joy–they are that good. Love the creativity in your recipe. Powdered spinach???? I’ve been away from the states too long. I had no idea you could buy it (presumable for smoothies???)
Yes Victoria…it’s supposed to be very healthy..so I will be using
What a beautiful green dish! I love that spinach powder.
Norma, YUM!! I love paella, and yours is SO pretty! Thanks for the recipe, how interesting that you make your own chorizo!
I heard so much about this Green Paella that it actually turned me Green with envy….lol
Great ingenuity!!!Lovely…
Noram, qué propuesta para más interesante, mira que me han dado muchísimas ganas de probarlo.
I love it and it actually looks very good, better than any of the green food they have out for St Patrick’s Day! 🙂
Love this, Norma! The chorizo sounds soooo good! Great job!
I love your meal. Love the green paella. 🙂
So pretty!!! Love the green. And thank you for braving the heat for the group – I adore hot and spicy so I am especially grateful ; )
What an original recipe! That green paella is just amazing and I’m sure it taste really good.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love this dish. Fantastic.
This is so interesting, yummy looking, and it leaves me green with envy. Just kidding. So clever to use the spinach powder. Learned something new about spinach and I thought I had that one. 🙂
wow!! this is fabulous – such a creative dish!
Beautiful sausage. I love heat and can’t wait to make it. Spinach has been used to color food since the middle ages. Foods were often colored red or green or gold for purely decorational reasons. You did the recipe proud. Great challenge dish.
Wow you have definitely outdone yourself Norma. This is the first time I have heard of powdered spinach or green risotto. What a creative dish for the crew.
So creative! I love that you made your own GREEN sausage! This would actually be really fun as a non-Irish St. Patrick’s Day dish too!
A unique and delicious paella Norma! Your homemade sausage rocks!
I’ve never had green paella but it looks and sounds delicious. Great recipe that I’ll definitely have to try. Sounds a bit spicy so I guess I’ll just have to have some Sangria standing by.
The paella was not spicy the chorizo’s were. Sand=gria is good any time. Thanks for stopping by!
Delicioso….and Im sure you had a great time at Kalustyans! Looking forward to seeing you soon dearie X X X We arrived yesterday! Jet-lagged to bits!!!
The incredible use of green in this dish really makes it stand out visually. It is very brave of you to work with a hot pepper which does not agree with you at all. You deserve to be commended for your commitment. Thank you for the recipe and the directions.
<a href="http://online-phd-uk.co.uk/choosing-a-uk-university-for-phd-online-phd-uk/" Online PhD UK
¡BUEN PROVECHO! I have never seen any sort of paella like this! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂 Best – Shanna PS Isn’t Rick Bayless Great?