Camino Chorizo and Couscous
Dry-cured chorizo, couscous, and smoked paprika in one pot after a long walking day.
- calories
- 760
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant couscous | 3/4 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry-cured chorizo | 2 oz | the hard Spanish kind, not fresh sausage |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Dried onion flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Slice the chorizo into coins before you light the stove. It cuts easier cold.
- Boil 350 ml of water. Drop in the onion flakes, tomato powder, paprika, and salt, and stir for a minute.
- Add the chorizo coins and let them sit in the simmer for another minute so the fat renders out orange.
- Kill the heat, pour in the couscous, stir once, and clamp the lid on.
- Wait five minutes. Fluff with the spoon, pour the oil over, and eat.
Couscous is the only grain that cooks off the stove. You boil water, dump it in, and let the pot do the rest under a lid while you deal with your feet. That matters more than it sounds on a day you walked twenty-five kilometers.
The chorizo is doing two jobs. It carries the protein, and the fat it renders becomes the sauce, which is why it goes in the water before the grain rather than on top at the end. Tomato powder and paprika stand in for the vegetables you cannot carry. If you skip the olive oil you get a dry pot of grain.
Packing
Couscous, tomato powder, paprika, onion, and salt go in one bag at home. Chorizo rides in its own bag; it sweats oil in heat and will stain anything it touches.
Variations
- A handful of dried bell pepper or sun-dried tomato rehydrates in the same five minutes.
- Swap the chorizo for a foil packet of sardines if you want the meat lighter and cheaper.
https://tente-trek.com/compostelle-preparation-physique