24ozfresh or frozen pork bloodor lamb, goat, or chicken blood
½cupplus 1 tablespoon fine cornmeal or another grain or starchsuch as oats or buckwheat
10oz1 large yellow onion
1.5ozgarlicroughly 8-10 cloves
2tablespoonsduck fator another animal fat
4ozbacondiced ¼ inch
Seasonings and Spices
¾teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
3Tablespoons Sweet (not spicy) Paprika (feel free to use 1 Tablespoon of smoked paprika if you have some)
½teaspoonfresh ground white pepperuse black in a pinch
½teaspooncayennestart with ¼ teaspoon if you’re sensitive to heat
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoondried marjoram or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
Prep
Mix the blood with the cornmeal or other starch and reserve. Mince the onions and garlic or buzz in a food processor.
Preheat an oven to 300F.
Par-cooking the blood cake
Sweat the onions and garlic in the duck fat for a few minutes until translucent, then add the seasonings and spices and cook for a minute more. Stir the blood-cornmeal mix, then pour into the pot. Cook the mixture slowly, stirring constantly until it just barely starts to thicken, this should be at about 120F if you’re using a thermometer.
Adjust the seasoning
When you can see it just barely start to tighten, remove it from the heat and stir it well, then taste it and gauge the seasoning. If tasting half-cooked blood weirds you out, grow a pair and taste it anyway, you’re cooking with blood for crying out loud, and you’ve come this far.
Adjust the seasoning as needed, it should be a bit salty, along the lines of sausage, since that’s how it will be served.
Baking
Pour the mixture into a loaf pan lined with clingfilm, then put the loaf pan into a large pan, put it in the oven and pour hot water into the pan to come up at least ½ of the way up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake the black mass of goo for 45 minutes to one hour, or until set, then chill completely.
Serving
To serve, cut nice ½ inch or so slices of blood cake and fry them up for breakfast with eggs, toast and whatever else you like. A green salad can add a nice balance. Finally, pat yourself on the back, since you’re going to eat a hardcore breakfast that would make a viking smile.
Notes
How to serve
The best part of this is frying up slices. It's a great addition to a full English breakfast, served with bacon and eggs, or even on a sandwich.