Equipment
Ingredients
Chorizo and Red Wine Chutney
- 150 g cured spicy chorizo, casing removed, finely diced
- 150 g red onion, finely diced
- 100 ml dry red wine
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 40 g dark brown sugar
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 g red chili flakes
Parmesan and Poppy Seed Biscuits
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 80 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 15 g poppy seeds
- 4 g baking powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 ml whole milk, ice cold
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 145 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 115 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 22 mg
- Potassium
- 74 mg
- Calcium
- 76 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 9 mg
- Phosphorus
- 71 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 48 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 6 mcg
- Water
- 17 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the finely diced chorizo into a cold, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the chorizo renders its vibrant red oil and begins to crisp at the edges.
Add the diced red onion to the saucepan with the chorizo. Cook in the rendered fat until the onions are completely softened and translucent.
Stir in the red wine, red wine vinegar, dark brown sugar, smoked paprika, and chili flakes. Reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to bubble gently until it thickens into a glossy, jam-like consistency. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and rub the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir the finely grated parmesan cheese and poppy seeds into the flour mixture, ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Add the egg yolk and cold milk to the dry ingredients. Gently bring the mixture together with your hands until it just forms a cohesive dough. Do not overwork it.
Flatten the dough into a thick disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to firm up.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 5mm. Use a 5cm round cutter to stamp out biscuits. Re-roll the scraps gently to use all the dough.
Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, leaving a small gap between each. Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/350°F until the edges are golden brown.
Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, spoon a teaspoon of the room temperature chorizo chutney onto each biscuit.
Chef's Notes
- Starting the chorizo in a cold pan helps render the fat slowly, preventing the paprika in the sausage from burning before the meat gets crispy.
- For the sharpest biscuit edges, chill the cut dough rounds on the baking tray for 10 minutes before baking to solidify the butter completely.
- The chutney tastes best when made a day in advance. The resting time allows the vinegar, sugar, and spiced pork fat to meld into a deeper, more rounded flavor.
- Use a block of real Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents that disrupt the buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture of short savory biscuits.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store biscuits and chutney in separate airtight containers. Biscuits stay crisp for 3 days; chutney lasts up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked biscuit dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Chutney freezes well.
Reheating: Reheat chutney gently in a saucepan over low heat or serve at room temperature. Refresh biscuits in a 150C/300F oven for 5 minutes if they lose their crispness.
Troubleshooting
Biscuits are tough rather than crumbly and short.
Cause: The dough was overworked or the butter became too warm during mixing, leading to gluten development.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Ensure you serve them with a generous amount of chutney to add moisture.
Prevention: Keep butter and liquids ice cold, and handle the dough as little as possible once the moisture is added.
Chutney is too thin and runs off the biscuit.
Cause: The liquid was not reduced sufficiently during the simmering stage.
Fix: Return the chutney to the saucepan and simmer over low heat until the excess liquid evaporates.
Prevention: Cook the chutney until the spatula leaves a clear trail on the bottom of the pan.
Chutney is too greasy.
Cause: The chorizo released an unusually high amount of fat.
Fix: While warm, carefully blot the surface of the chutney with a paper towel to remove pooling oil.
Prevention: If the chorizo looks excessively oily after sautéing, drain off a spoonful of fat before adding the onions.
Cultural Context
This appetizer bridges classic British savory baking with vibrant Spanish tapas traditions. The cheese and poppy seed biscuit takes inspiration from traditional English cheese sables, providing a buttery, crumbly vessel. The topping borrows heavily from Spanish flavors, specifically the tapa of chorizo cooked in red wine, transforming it into a sticky, concentrated preserve that cuts through the richness of the cheese.
