Portuguese Arroz de Cabidela

This bloody concoction, made with freshly slaughtered chicken or rabbit cooked in its own blood, is definitely not for squeamish eaters. With a hefty dose of vinegar and water thrown into the mix, arroz de cabidela turns into a brownish stew of rice, meat, and blood for ravenous diners to enjoy.
Ingredients: 

• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 whole chicken (preferably organic)
• Some slices of chorizo and prosciutto
• 300 g “carolino” rice (rice with smaller grains)
• 1 Black beer (33cl)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• Pepper to taste
• Parsley
• 1 bay leaf
  

Steps:

• First, you need to prepare the chicken. As you will need to use the chicken’s blood, it’s best if you get the chicken from a butcher, since they sell the blood on the side, already blended with red wine vinegar. Even better would be to get it straight from a nearby farmer. In a supermarket, make sure that they provide you with the chicken blood before you order it.
• Chop the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
• Peel and chop the onion and the garlic cloves and fry them in a large pan with hot olive oil. Add the chorizo and the prosciutto sliced very thin and keep stirring. Once the smoked meats and the onions are getting a golden color, add the black beer and the balsamic vinegar.
• Add the chicken pieces, season with salt, pepper, parsley and a little bit of cinnamon (if you like, as this is an optional spice) and let it cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Next, add the rice to the stock in which the chicken has been cooked. You might need to add some hot water, depending on the amount of stock you have on the pan, so pay attention throughout the rice cooking. Usually, carolino rice demands 3x the amount of water.
• When the rice is just about to be cooked add the blood and vinegar mixture that you got from the supermarket. Mix well and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately.