Cocido Madrileño

Origin: Castilla La Mancha, Madrid

Cocido Madrileño is probably the most representative dish of Madrid's cuisine. Like many other Spanish dishes its origins were humble, being the popular classes those that first prepared it.

Cocido madrileño, as other Spanish food such as cocido montañés derived from the Jewish adafina; a stew made with lamb and chick peas. Cocido madrileño is a chickpea stew with different pork meat and sausages.

This stew goes back a long way, specially because it is the natural evolution of other dishes. Some historians say cocido madrileño evolved from a dish called olla podrida manchega, however it received its appellation madrileño (native from Madrid) during the 17th century.

However it first had to be accepted by the high classes and the Spanish Courts, and that happened at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, when it left the menus of taverns and lowly eating houses and made its appearance in finer restaurants.

The chickpea was introduced in Spain many centuries ago, very likely by the Carthaginian, however the Spanish word for this legume is garbanzo, from the Mozarabic word arbanço.

Cocido madrileño itself derived from the Jewish adafina, similar to cholent. As its strictly forbidden to cook on sabbat, families would start cooking a similar stew on Friday (only with lamb or beef instead of pork). Many people believe that it was the Christian who introduced pork in the dish, however historians say that it was Jews that converted into Christianity to prove a point to the Inquisition.

Cocido madrileño was for many years one of the most consumed dishes in the Spanish capital and before the Spanish civil war it was considered as the most popular after callos a la madrileña, and it was included in menus of all kinds of establishments. Nowadays cocido madrileño is not so common and its a lot more pricey than at its lowly origins.

There are several Madrid restaurants that serve typical Spanish food, though it's more likely to find them in tourist routes.We recommend asking the locals for the best cocido madrileño, be sure to taste it!

Cocido Madrileño | Chickpea and Pork Stew from Madrid

Ingredients (6 portions=:

• 500 grams of chickpea
• 1/2 cabbage
• 1/2 kilo of small carrots
• 6 medium potatoes
• 1/4 hen or chicken
• 2 bones with marrow
• 1 chorizo
• 1 longaniza
• 1 blood sausage
• serrano ham tip
• 200 grams of streaky bacon
• salt
• 150 grams of bread crumbs of yesterday's bread
• 2 handfuls of very thin pasta
• 2 eggs
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbs of chopped parsley

Preparation:

• Soak the chickpeas in lukewarm water in the evening of the day before, with one tbs of coarse salt and a pinch of sodium bicarbonate
• In a large pan with plenty of cold water put the meat, the bones tied (so the marrow doesn't come out), the bacon, ham, and the hen with a little salt. Put at medium heat.
• Dip the chickpeas in hot water. When the water with the meat starts to boil, skim well and add the chickpeas. It's convenient to use a net for them, so they don't go all over the place
• Put the fire at low heat and let the cocido cook. It should be on the fire some 3.5 hours, skimming it occasionally.
• One hour before the cooking is over, add the carrots cut in half lengthwise and half an hour later add the potatoes, peeled and diced.
• In a bowl put the bread crumbs, the eggs, 50 grams of bacon and the garlic clove. Stir well until you have a large croquette. Dip in flour and fry. Once is golden add to the cocido for half an hour
• Dice the cabbage and cook separately. Additionally you can stir-fry a little before serving. Add the chorizo
• The blood sausage can either be sliced and fried or cooked separately
• Once the cooking time is done, separate enough broth for the soup, leaving some in the pan so the meat doesn't go dry or cold
• Cook the pasta for 15 minutes in tbs broth and serve in a tureen
• In a platter put the meat previously diced, add the hen, the chorizo, the blood sausage, the ham, the bacon and the marrow.
• In another platter serve the chickpeas, the vegetables and potatoes
• The croquette is sliced and added to the meat tray