Chistorra a la Sidra

Chistorra a la sidra is Navarrese, with a foot in the Basque cider house too: a thin, soft, pimentón-red sausage cooked in dry sidra until the casing tightens and the cider turns into a sharp little sauce. This is not cured chorizo for slicing. Chistorra must be cooked. That's the dish.

The method that decides it is the reduction. Start the chistorra gently so some of its red fat runs, then add dry cider and let it bubble down until it coats the pan, not until it disappears. Too much cider and you boil the sausage pale. Too little time and the sauce tastes raw and sweet. Let it darken, let it gloss, and it will do what it should.

If you can't find Navarrese chistorra, use a fresh Spanish-style chorizo made for cooking, not a hard cured one. It will be thicker and heavier, so cut it into shorter pieces and give it a few more minutes. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need the right kind of sausage, dry cider, and bread for the pan juices. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.