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Sarapatel
Sarapatel: Pernambuco's spiced pork offal stew thickened with blood
A pork dish with Portuguese roots, sarapatel is cooked in Recife and the Pernambuco interior for big gatherings and Saturday lunches, and bars in Olinda serve it by the bowl with rice, farinha and lime. Pork liver, heart and kidneys are cleaned, diced small and simmered with onion, tomato, cumin, bay and vinegar, then the stew is thickened with cooked pork blood until it turns dark, glossy and intensely savoury, sharp from the vinegar and fragrant with mint and coriander. Buy the offal and the blood from a butcher you trust, very fresh and kept cold; blood should be used the day you buy it or frozen at once. The classic error is skipping the cleaning and parboiling, which leaves the stew with a strong, livery taste. All offal must be cooked through. Chef's tip: dice everything into neat 1 cm pieces; the small size is what lets the sauce coat every bite.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the offal
For the stew
To serve
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse 10 ½ oz pork liver, 10 ½ oz pork heart and 7 oz pork kidneys, put them in a bowl with cold water, half of 2 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar and 2 limes, and soak in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Drain, put the offal in a pan of fresh cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and discard the water; this removes impurities and strong flavours.
15 minStep 3: When cool enough to handle, trim away tubes and sinew and cut all the offal into 1 cm dice.
15 minStep 4: Fry 3 ½ oz smoked streaky bacon in a heavy casserole over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the fat runs and the edges crisp.
5 minStep 5: Add 2 onions and 5 cloves garlic and cook for 6 minutes until soft and golden.
6 minStep 6: Stir in 3 tomatoes, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 3 bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes collapse.
5 minStep 7: Add the diced offal, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 50 minutes, stirring now and then, until the heart is tender when pierced.
50 minStep 8: Mix 7 oz cooked pork blood with the rest of 2 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar and stir it into the stew. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is thick, dark brown with no trace of red, and everything is piping hot (at least 160°F).
15 minStep 9: Stir in 2 tbsp fresh mint and 3 tbsp fresh coriander, check the salt and serve with rice, 5 ½ oz farinha de mandioca and 2 tbsp malagueta pepper sauce on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sarapatel take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
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