Spicy Chorizo Dip

So here is an embarrassing admission.  We have lived in Southern California since September of 2008 and we have only tried chorizo for the first time like a month ago.  That’s four years without tasting one of our region’s most delicious local delicacies.  It is pretty ridiculous.  So I finally got around to picking some up a few weeks ago, but for some reason, I pictured it being like a sausage in a casing, and that I would slice it then brown it with some garlic and red bell pepper and maybe serve with a fried egg and toast for breakfast.  Well, it wasn’t actually sliceable.  The mixture turned out to have a sort of runny consistency.  I basically just had to squeeze the mixture out of the packaging like it was toothpaste.  I was surprised by that, but I figured I would put that runny quality to good use and make it into…wait for it…a dip! How surprised are you? The crazy thing is that this dip is intensely delicious, like a spicy, meaty bruschetta.  Perfect with some sliced, toasted baguette or tortilla chips.

Ingredients
1 10 ounce package pork chorizo
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ leek, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed
1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves chopped
1 ounce cream cheese
1 tablespoon Mexican crema, optional

Instructions
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.  Add the leek, scallion, jalapeno, garlic, and bell pepper.  Toss in the fresh herbs.  Let the vegetables and aromatics soften for about 3 minutes.  Add the chorizo and mix together.  Let everything cook together, about ten minutes.  Stir in cream cheese and the crema and keep over low heat until the cream cheese has melted into the mixture.  Serve with baguette, chips or whatever floats your boat.