SERVES 4
During the matanza, when pigs are butchered, the first chore is to capture the blood, and then keep it moving to stop it from coagulating so that it can be used to make blood sausage, morcilla. While morcilla can be plain, often a bit of rice or onion is added for texture and filler as well as flavor. The most famous morcilla comes from around Burgos, the ancient city in the arid northern meseta, where there is rice (and often onion) inside. (La Tienda and Despaña both stock morcilla from Burgos; see Sources, page 345.) The best way to eat this type of morcilla is to cut it into thick rounds and sear it on the exposed ends, giving the edges a nice chewy texture. Do this by using a nonstick pan and very little oil. Note that other types of blood sausages—that is, plain or with only onions—tend to come apart if cut into neat rounds. Grill these types whole.
1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Wash the green peppers and pat dry with paper towels. Place them on a baking sheet and broil, turning from time to time, until soft and blistered in places, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil tented in the middle to keep warm.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pieces of morcilla and sear the ends until the edges are crispy and the centers warm, about 2 minutes on each end. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil tented in the middle. This will keep them warm without steaming them.
4. In the same skillet, immediately fry the eggs sunny-side up or as desired. (Re-oil the pan if needed.)
5. Serve the morcilla with a pair of eggs and the peppers alongside.
