Hurka is a pure mixture of chopped meat and fat, spiced with salt, pepper, fortified wine and a garlic infusion which is then pressed into the small intestine, the cleaning of which is a particularly complicated operation requiring devoted, meticulous care.
The basis of Hurka can be liver, lung, liver and lung combined, or blood. Each variety is then given a liberal dose of fatty meat, a rice hash, a fatty liquid and spices. The mixture is pressed loosely into the sausagecase, simmered gently for 8 minutes to allow it to expand and then it is cooled. When it is to be prepared for eating it is first covered with cold dripping and allowed to warm up very slowly so that the skin will not crack. Then it is simmered slowly in liquid fat .
To give one recipe as an example, here is the combined lung and liver sausage
Clean the boiled lung carefully, removing any thick veins and windpipe parts. Mince it together with about twice its volume of liver, which should first be boiled gently in an absolute minimum of water and then drained thoroughly, add some bits of fattier flesh. Mix in about one third part boiled rice. The seasoning begins with salt, freshly ground black pepper and chopped onion, but the real flavouring includes freshly ground allspice, one or two crushed cloves, 1-2 grated apples, about 5Og (2 oz.) sultanas. Add some water in which a small lump of fatty flesh has been boiled to make a fairly mushy consistency, and loosely fill it into a sausage-case. Give it a good steaming and then cool it, or bring it just to the boil in water, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down slowly. Use good smoked streaky bacon dripping to fry the Hurka for eating.
The blood Hurka is seasoned with crushed dill
seeds, savory, marjoram and fried onion, but as far as blood is concerned I
have found the simple recipe below more interesting.
Blood of 1 adult and 60g fat (2 oz.)
(1 pint) blood - 1 large onion salt paprika powder, or pepper
Fry the sliced onion lightly in the fat.
Slice or cube the congealed blood and add it to the onion.
Season it with salt and pepper or paprika. Stirring continuously, fry it for 8 minutes.
Serve with potatoes which have been boiled and tossed in bonemeal and
accompany with a salad such as cucumber.
