Morcilla (spanish black pudding)

This recipe has less cream than most 'authentic' recipes because I find them a bit rich. You can use up to 500ml (300 more than I have put in the recipe).

You can also replace the apples with 400g of raisins and the 200g of breadcrumbs with 150g of rice. Depends what you have in the house - and what you think will taste best!

2l pigs blood

200g breadcrumbs

150g cooked rice

4tsp pepper (black and/or white)

3 tsp nutmeg

6 tsp smoked paprika (or smoked mild chilli) you can use unsmoked but it is not as nice

5 cloves ground up

5 tsp salt

The following spices are optional - perhaps increase others if you don't use

2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp ginger

250ml sweet sherry

2 apples peeled, cored and cut in to small bits

500g onion (2 large) chopped reasonably finely

1 garlic clove

3 tsp dark sugar

300g back fat or belly bacon cut in to small chunks.

200ml single cream

Fry the onions (ideally in lard) on a low heat until they are cooked and transulcent but not brown. Add the apple and fry for a few minutes more. You don't want the apples to turn to mush so don't overdo it.

While you let the onions and apple cool a bit add all the other ingredients to the blood and mix well.

Add the onions and apples and stir some more.

Fry a little bit of the mixture - which will be very sloppy - and taste to check the seasoning. Overall it will taste better when cooked properly as everything blends together more, but check the salt and spices and adjust if necessary.

Fill sausage skins with the mixture. To do this, cut the skin in to manageable lengths. Perhaps 50cm, then tie off one end with string. Use a funnel (or make a funnel from a plastic bottle - cut the bottom off and use the top bit) to fill the skins with a ladle. You may have to poke your finger or the end of a wooden spoon down from time to time to help lumps move through. Slide the end of the skin off the ladle and tie off with another bit of string. Try to get rid of all the air as you do this and don't pack too tight as they expand slightly while cooking.

Cook in a large pan of hot water - you need to maintain about 80C throughout. They are done when the liquid comes out brown not red if you prick with a needle. You can prick also while they are cooking if there are any air bubbles to let the air out.