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Pepitoria
Pepitoria: Santander's rice cooked with goat offal and blood, served beside roast cabrito
Santander's famous plate of cabrito (roast kid goat), sold in Bucaramanga, Barichara and the canyon towns, always comes with pepitoria next to it: rice cooked with the kid's chopped heart, liver and kidneys, a refrito of onion and tomato, and blood, which turns it a deep reddish-brown and gives it a rich, mineral flavour, a little like a soft black pudding. It's a dish that uses the whole animal, and it is worth trying if you like morcilla. Ask a halal, Caribbean or specialist butcher for very fresh goat offal and fresh blood (pig blood works if goat isn't available); keep both cold and cook them the same day. Offal must be cooked right through, and the blood until it has set and darkened with no liquid red left. The usual misstep is adding the blood too early, so that it scorches on the bottom; it goes in when the rice is nearly done. Chef's tip: if blood is impossible to find, double the offal and add 1 tsp extra achiote; you'll get a lighter but still very good rice.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
To serve
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Trim 1 ⅓ lb goat offal (heart, liver, kidneys) of tubes, membranes and the white core of the kidneys. Soak in cold water with 2 tbsp white vinegar in the fridge for 20 minutes, then rinse.
25 minStep 2: Simmer the offal in 6 ¼ cups water over a medium heat for 25 minutes, until firm and cooked through with no pink inside. Lift out, keeping 800 ml of the cooking liquid, and cut into 1 cm dice.
25 minStep 3: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion, 4 spring onions and 4 garlic cloves for 5 minutes, until soft.
5 minStep 4: Add 2 ripe tomatoes, 1 red pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground achiote (annatto) and cook for 5 minutes, until thick. Stir in the diced offal and fry for 3 minutes.
8 minStep 5: Add 10 ½ oz long-grain rice, stir to coat, then pour in the reserved cooking liquid with 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, until the rice is almost tender.
17 minStep 6: Stir 1 cup fresh goat or pig blood well, then pour it slowly over the rice, stirring all the time, and add 3 ½ oz green peas. Cook over a low heat, stirring gently from the bottom, for 8–10 minutes, until the blood has set, the rice is dark brown and no red liquid remains.
10 minStep 7: Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve hot with roast goat or lamb.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pepitoria take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 70 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 vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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