Hen Tucuman-Style (Gallina a la Tucumanita)

Ingredients

• 1 hen
• hen's blood
• salt
• onions
• tomatoes
• tocino (salt pork / cured pork belly)
• chorizo (Spanish seasoned sausage)
• hen giblets
• hard-boiled eggs
• pepper
• oregano
• 1 pinch cumin
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 dozen peanuts (maní)
• 1 dozen sweet almonds
• bread crumb (migajón), soaked

Instructions

1. Cut the hen's neck and catch the blood in a cup. Pluck, open, wash, and joint the hen, then cook it with a little salt.
2. Make a sofrito of onions, tomatoes, tocino, and chorizo (cooked with the hen), plus the giblets and hard-boiled eggs, all finely chopped and seasoned with pepper, oregano, a pinch of cumin, and three tablespoons of butter.
3. Pour part of the broth over the sofrito, add the hen pieces, and cook over low heat about half an hour.
4. Toast and grind a dozen peanuts and a dozen sweet almonds; grind with them soaked bread crumb and the reserved blood.
5. Shortly before removing from the heat, stir in this ground mixture, let it simmer gently a moment, and serve.