500g back fat
50g salt
10g black pepper
10g Pimentón
150g onion, finely chopped
8g thyme
12g garlic
300g dry Paella rice, cooked and drained
Beef runners and hog casings.
The pig blood was made up using 150g dried blood and 850ml water. The rice was cooked for 15 minutes.
It was time to make some more Morcilla after the success of the first batch. I played around with the recipe a little by using less rice this time and not cooking the rice for so long. The first time round I had been delayed with another task while the rice steamed after cooking so that it had started to loose its consistency as it sat in the pot awaiting my return. This time, I cooked the rice as though I was going to serve it. Both changes affected the texture of the finished Morcilla which was noticeably more bloody this time and the whole grains of rice were visible in the sausage. I think the previous over-cooking of the rice was a good accident and I would do this again the next time. I like the bloody nature of this Morcilla, but it does not keep its shape so well when it is peeled and put in the pan to fry. I have no idea which is the more traditional rendition of this Spanish classic, but I love the results of what I am making here.
I didn't have enough beef runners to stuff the whole lot so I had to use some smaller hog casings. I like the variety of shapes. This time I remembered to tie the sausages into rings so that I didn't loose any during poaching. Like fresh sausages, the Morcilla changed in the first 12 hours. When they first came out of the poach there was a great variety in the colours and apparent textures but by the next day they had become quite uniform.
The next time I make this, I think I will not bother with the thyme. It doesn't really seem to add anything noticeable to the sausage. I'd also cut fat into larger chunks.
I'm planning to make Marmite sausages soon. Obviously I am a big Marmite fan and I have heard good reports from people who have tried Marmite sausages. Now I'm starting to think that a Marmite black pudding would be a good idea as the colour and texture should be a natural fit.
No need to cook the rice beforehand. My version of morcilla invovles soaking the rice in the chopped onion and blood for a few hours (during which time it soften very slightly) and it cooks during the poaching. It tastes authentic (to me!)
ReplyDeleteThis makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the tip. I will try this out the next time.
ReplyDeleteIt also explains why the recipe I used specifies less water to rehydrate the dried blood than is printed on the dried-blood packet instructions. The recipe is accounting for the water present in the cooked rice.