Colombian Blood Sausage (Rellena)
Colombian rellena is blood sausage made with rice: pork blood mixed with cooked rice, peas, fatback and fresh herbs, stuffed into casings and simmered until set. The rice is what separates it from European blood sausages. Casings soak overnight, and the sausage boils in 30 to 45 minutes. Makes 15.
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 1 liter fresh pork blood about 4¼ cups; order from a butcher, keep it cold, use it fresh
- 1½ pounds fatback, chopped about 680 g
- ½ cup scallions, chopped
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped cilantro leaf, not coriander seed
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- 4 tablespoons cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 500 g rice about 2½ cups, cooked and cooled
- 400 g peas, cooked about 2¾ cups
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar keeps the blood from curdling
- 5 meters pork casings about 16 ft; soak overnight in water with lemon
- Kitchen twine, for tying
Instructions
- Cook the rice as usual and let it cool completely. Once cold, transfer it to a large bowl and stir it to separate the grains.
- Put the blood in a bowl with a tablespoon of the salt and the teaspoon of white vinegar, and stir. This is what stops it curdling before you mix it with everything else.
- Wash the casings thoroughly under plenty of running water and tie off one end with twine.
- In a large container, combine everything: the rice, the blood, the fatback, the scallions, the garlic powder, the oregano, the cilantro, the mint, the cornmeal, the pepper, the cumin, the peas and the remaining salt. Stir until the mixture is even.
- Start filling the casings by hand, using a wide-mouthed funnel. If you do not have one, cut a plastic bottle in half and use the neck.
- Fill the casing loosely, about three quarters full. The rice swells as it cooks, and a tightly packed sausage bursts in the pot.
- Tie off firmly with twine every 15 to 20 cm so the sausage holds its shape.
- Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer and add the sausages. You can season the water with bay leaf, thyme or other aromatics.
- Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, which splits the casings. It is done when a needle pushed into the sausage comes out clean, with no liquid or blood following it.
- Lift them out, drain, and they are ready to eat.
Notes
Soak the casings overnight in water with lemon before you start. Use the blood fresh and keep it refrigerated until the moment you mix it: it is highly perishable. Once boiled, the sausage keeps a few days in the fridge and is usually fried or grilled before serving.