These tiny chorizo bites are a one-bite snack that your guests will bring your guests to the table. Layers of flaky puff pastry encase slices of tasty chorizo, just add a little dip and you’re done!
The easiest way to make them is to seal the slices of chorizo between two strips of pastry and then stamp out the little circles ready for baking. If you want to get ahead, you can make these up to the point of assembling them and then freeze them. Because they are so small, there is no need to defrost them—just bake as usual, though they may need an extra 3 to 5 minutes or so in the oven to ensure they are heated all the way through.–Richard Bertinet
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☞ Contents
Chorizo Bites
Equipment
- Round cookie or biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter for the baking sheets
- About 9 ounces Spanish chorizo or other dry-cured pork sausage
- Flour for the work surface
- 1 pound all-butter puff pastry homemade or store-bought
- 1 egg lightly beaten with a pinch salt
- Mustard for serving (optional)
- Chutney for serving (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and butter 2 baking sheets.
- Cut the chorizo into 18 slices, each about 3/8 inch thick.
- Dust your work surface with flour, then roll out the pastry into a rectangle measuring about 8 inches by 6 1/4 inches. Cut this rectangle lengthwise into 4 equal strips, each about 1 5/8 inches wide.
- Lay 2 strips horizontally in front of you. Place a line of 9 chorizo slices along each strip, leaving 3/4 inch between each slice and 3/4 inch at either end.
- Lightly brush the exposed pastry around the chorizo slices with the beaten egg, then cover each with a remaining strip of pastry. Seal the pastry around the chorizo by pressing delicately with your fingertips or taking a small round pastry cutter, just a tiny bit larger than the chorizo, turning it upside down so you are not using the sharp side, and then pressing it very gently around the chorizo to seal the pastry.
- Now take a round cutter a little larger than the chorizo, and use it the right way up to stamp out 9 circles from each strip, each circle with a chorizo slice in the center. If desired, lightly brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and, if you like, decorate the top by making little cuts with the tip of a knife, although be careful not to cut all the way through the top layer of pastry. (You can freeze the bites in a single layer in a resealable plastic bag for up to a month. There’s no need to thaw them before baking, although you may need to allow an extra 3 to 5 minutes in the oven.)
- Place the circles on your prepared baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and crisp and golden. Let cool for a few minutes—if you can wait—before eating, either alone or with mustard or chutney, if you please.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Tender, spicy slices of chorizo sausage, nestled in between layers of buttery, flaky puff pastry. These tasty little nibbles were a welcome addition to cocktail hour! A simple appetizer that was delicious served with spicy mustard for dipping. I’d also like to try these chorizo bites with a nice chutney on the side for dipping, as I think the spiciness of the sausage and the sweetness of the chutney would make a nice pairing. To me, this was a perfectly updated version of pigs in a blanket. It took my chorizo bites 20 minutes to cook, and to cut the bites out I actually used an 1/8-cup measuring cup as my mold. It was just the right size for the puff pastry-covered round of chorizo. These tasty chorizo bites were far superior to the traditional pigs in a blanket though, because the proportion of meat and pastry was just right. I always found that there was too much blanket and not enough pig with the traditional version. I like the idea of freezing these so that you can have a quick and easy appetizer on hand.
These were irresistible and the perfect bite with a glass of red wine. Your guests will think you slaved for hours! They’re the ideal make-ahead appetizer to have ready in the freezer. I should’ve doubled the recipe, because my tester group gobbled them up.
I’ve made puff pastry from scratch several times, but I opted for the ready-made version this time. I used my fingers to seal the chorizo in the puff pastry after brushing with the beaten egg, but may try the upside-down pastry cutter next time. I followed the suggestion of freezing the assembled pastries ahead of time and the baking time was 18 to 20 minutes from their frozen state. A keeper in my hors d’oeuvre file!
This is a very simple, straightforward recipe; at least it is when you use store-bought puff pastry like I did. It’s important you use a high-quality chorizo—the hard Spanish kind, not the soft Mexican chorizo. We very much enjoyed this for a little appetizer or a predinner kind of food.
Originally published October 14, 2013
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Jo Ann Brown
Oh yeah. Chorizo and puff pastry in one bite? I’m so there! I’m standing there and these delicious little babies are cooling and I’m watching them and they’re watching me and my fingers creep ever closer because I’m hoping that they’ve cooled beyond lava stage. Tap. Tap. My fingers can linger on these jewels beyond the count of four. This means they’re ready, and so am I. Delicious. The fat—chorizo’s amber oil—brings crazy flavor that permeates the flaky pastry, melding with its own lusciousness. I eat more than I should and then, because dinner will pale in comparison, I decide to just skip dinner, which gives me the perfect excuse to make a meal of these beautiful bites. I nosh on more. Note that I prefer fresh chorizo, mostly because we’ve a wonderful local purveyor in the Hudson Valley, so I used their fresh version. I roasted the chorizo until done and continued with the recipe as directed. I started thinking, would it be possible to avoid all the ring cutting and just form the bites like ravioli, cutting them between sausage slices for a quicker, square version. I made a few like this and yes, this way also works and avoids wasted dough and time. (Truth be told, they become more like two-bite chorizo bites this way, but I had no complaints.)