Meats and Sausages
Morcela de Estremoz e Borba
Morcela de Estremoz e Borba is a Portuguese blood sausage produced from Alentejano pigs in Borba, Estremoz, Vila Viçosa and Alandrol districts. The sausage can be eaten as it is, roasted, fried or boiled. It is used as an ingredient in many of the traditional local dishes, the most famous of which is cozido à portuguesa. It is also often eaten as a starter or as an aperitif.Morcela de Estremoz e Borba carries PGI, 2004 classification.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Pork fat trimmings (belly, neck or back fat) | 300 g | 1.32 lb |
| Pork jowls | 300 g | 0.66 lb |
| Pork blood | 400 ml | 0.88 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| Salt | 28 g | 5 tsp |
| Pepper | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Paprika, sweet | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Cumin | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Nutmeg | 0.5 g | 1/4 tsp |
| Cinnamon | 0.5 g | 1/4 tsp |
| Cloves, ground | 0.3 g | 1/8 tsp |
| Ginger | 0.3 g | 1/8 tsp |
| Red pepper paste* | 60 g | 2 oz |
| Garlic, powder | 5.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Red wine | 30 ml | 1 oz fl |
Instructions
- Make marinade: wine, water, salt and spices.Cut all meats and fat into 5/8” (10 mm) pieces.
- Mix fat, blood and spices.
- Stuff into 20-40 mm hog casings making 40 cm long horseshoe-shaped rings, with a cotton string tied or twisted around the ends.
- Smoke for 14 days with oak wood at 18° C (64° F).
- Store at 5-12° C (48-53° F).
Notes
* Red pepper paste (in Portuguese “massa de pimentão”) is an essential condiment in Portuguese cooking.
Making Red Pepper Paste: cut bell peppers lengthwise into halves. Discard stems and seeds. Get a suitable pan and sprinkle salt on the bottom. Place peppers on salt, then cover them with more salt. Repeat the procedure creating a multilayer combination with salt being the top layer. Hold for 8 days. Rinse with water, pat dry with paper towel and grind through 1/8” (3 mm) plate or emulsify in food processor. Home method for making red pepper paste (about 1 cup):
3 red bell peppers
24 g (4 tsp) salt
2 cloves of garlic
1 fl oz (30 ml=2 Tbsp) olive oil Cut peppers into quarters. Remove the stems and seeds. Remove the white pulp from the inside of the peppers. Place peppers in a jar and sprinkle them with salt. Shake the jar. Leave uncovered for 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse the peppers and pat them dry with paper towel. Spread peppers on a pan and bake them for 20 minutes until the skins are charred and dark.Remove the tray and let the peppers cool. Remove the skins from the peppers, they come off easily. Using mixer blend the peppers with 2 garlic cloves adding gradually olive oil. The mixture should reach the consistency of a fine creamy paste.
Making Red Pepper Paste: cut bell peppers lengthwise into halves. Discard stems and seeds. Get a suitable pan and sprinkle salt on the bottom. Place peppers on salt, then cover them with more salt. Repeat the procedure creating a multilayer combination with salt being the top layer. Hold for 8 days. Rinse with water, pat dry with paper towel and grind through 1/8” (3 mm) plate or emulsify in food processor. Home method for making red pepper paste (about 1 cup):
3 red bell peppers
24 g (4 tsp) salt
2 cloves of garlic
1 fl oz (30 ml=2 Tbsp) olive oil Cut peppers into quarters. Remove the stems and seeds. Remove the white pulp from the inside of the peppers. Place peppers in a jar and sprinkle them with salt. Shake the jar. Leave uncovered for 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse the peppers and pat them dry with paper towel. Spread peppers on a pan and bake them for 20 minutes until the skins are charred and dark.Remove the tray and let the peppers cool. Remove the skins from the peppers, they come off easily. Using mixer blend the peppers with 2 garlic cloves adding gradually olive oil. The mixture should reach the consistency of a fine creamy paste.
