START TO FINISH: 50 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
Carcamusa, a Spanish tapas dish, traditionally calls for three varieties of pork—fresh pork, cured ham and chorizo—all simmered with seasonal vegetables in tomato sauce. To simplify, we skipped the ham and opted for jarred roasted piquillo peppers, which are heat-free, meaty red peppers from Spain. If you can’t find them, jarred roasted red bell peppers are a fine substitute. Serve with slices of toasted rustic bread.
Don’t use Mexican chorizo, which is a fresh sausage, in place of the Spanish chorizo. Spanish chorizo is dry-cured and has a firm, sliceable texture similar to salami.
6 ounces Spanish chorizo, casing removed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, divided
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2½ teaspoons dried oregano
2½ teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, juices reserved
1¼-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
½ cup dry sherry
10.4-ounce jar piquillo peppers (see note), drained and cut into ½-inch pieces (1 cup)
1 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
In a food processor, combine half the chorizo, the garlic, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon pepper and 3 tablespoons of the tomato juices. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the chorizo paste to a medium bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon salt and another 1 tablespoon of the tomato juices. Add the pork and toss, then let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the drained tomatoes to the chorizo paste in the processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until barely smoking. Add the pork in a single layer and cook without stirring until well-browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Return the pork to the bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and heat over medium until shimmering. Add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until most of the liquid evaporates, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato-chorizo mixture and remaining tomato juice. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, another 5 minutes. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the skillet and add the remaining chorizo and piquillo peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, then taste and season with salt and pepper.