Zorza Gallega

Zorza Gallega belongs to Galicia, and it is chorizo before the casing: chopped pork seasoned with pimentón, garlic, oregano, salt, and a little wine, then rested until the meat turns red all the way through. It isn't sausage yet. It is the prueba de matanza, the test of the seasoning before the chorizos are stuffed, fried loose in a pan and eaten with potatoes or bread.

The method that decides it is the rest. Mix it today, cook it tomorrow. That pause lets the salt draw the seasoning into the pork, so you don't get plain meat with red dust on the outside. Pésalo, no lo adivines: weigh the salt and the pimentón, because this is not the place for guessing.

If you can't find Spanish pork collar or shoulder already chopped for chorizo, use pork shoulder with a little belly mixed in, or coarse-ground pork with enough fat to stay juicy. Lean mince turns dry and mean in the pan. No hace falta haber pisado España, but you do need real pimentón, preferably de la Vera, and patience for the overnight rest. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.