My Caltabos

To prepare a delicious recipe for caltaboși, we start by preparing the pork offal along with the bacon. These are placed in a large pot with cold water, and salt, peppercorns, and chopped garlic are added to taste. It is important that the water is sufficient to cover all the ingredients, and the heat is kept low so that we achieve gentle simmering. During the boiling process, it is necessary to add warm water to maintain a constant liquid level, which will help cook the offal evenly. After about 1-2 hours, you can check if the offal is ready using a fork.

Once the offal is cooked, carefully remove it from the pot, keeping the water in which it boiled, as this will be used later. After cooling slightly, drain and grind it with a meat grinder fitted with a fine mesh twice to achieve a homogeneous texture. If you prefer a rustic taste and texture, you can chop the offal with a knife, giving the dish an authentic character. For every kilogram of offal, add 500 grams of rice, but you can adjust the amount of rice according to personal preferences.

Meanwhile, wash the rice in several waters to remove excess starch, then boil it in a pot with water, adding salt, pepper, and if desired, a little marjoram and allspice, as well as a pinch of paprika for extra flavor. Be careful not to let the rice boil too much, as we want it to remain slightly firm. Once the rice is cooked, drain it and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.

In a pan, heat a little oil and add the chopped onion, frying it until it becomes glassy and fragrant. Let the onion cool, then add it to the ground offal along with the rice. Mix the composition well, adjusting the taste with salt, pepper, and the remaining preferred spices.

The casings for the sausages or those special for caltaboși should be washed very well, then start filling them with the prepared mixture. Make sure to fill the casings evenly, without overstuffing them, and tie them at both ends. Shape them into rings and prick them with a needle in several places to allow steam to escape during boiling.

Put the pot with the reserved boiling water back on low heat, adding the filled caltaboși. Boil them on low heat, in very gentle simmering, for 10-15 minutes. After this interval, carefully remove them and place them on a rack to drain, allowing them to cool until the next day. Once cooled, they can be stored in the refrigerator. When it comes time to serve, the caltaboși can be consumed cold, sliced thinly, accompanied by pickles and fresh homemade bread, or they can be fried in lard, providing a delicious crispy texture, alongside a shot of țuică. Enjoy your meal!

 Ingredients: 1 pork heart, 1 pork liver, 400-500 g pork belly fat (if you don't have it, use belly fat but with some meat), 1 large onion (or 2 medium ones) to taste, 50 ml oil, rice (I used brown rice), 1/2 kg for every kg of offal, salt and pepper to taste, allspice and marjoram (I skipped them as I didn't have them), garlic (optional), intestines.

 Tags:  onion meat garlic rice oil over pig christmas and new year's recipes gluten-free recipes