Where does Cocido madrileño come from?

Cocido Madrileño is one of the better known and more traditional dishes of Spain. Is a dish with a lot in common with other different stews that are made all over the country, each one with their own distinctive features and special ingredients.

This stew, and other types as well, requires a long cooking time and the ingredients provide enough calories to our body, which makes this dish ideal for the winter.

This stew is being prepared for a long time in Spain so, probably in each house you will try a slightly different Cocido madrileño, but we are going to show you how to prepare the traditional one. Another peculiarity of this dish is that it is usually served in three separated plates, one with the soup, another with the legumes and vegetables and the last one with the meat.

What is the origin of Cocido Madrileño?

As I said before, the Cocido Madrileño is one of the most representative dishes of the Madrid recipe’s book. This is a stew which chickpeas, vegetables and meat are the main ingredients. The origin is humble and it was ate by the lower society classes. But, because of the great taste and the fast spread it started to arrive to the finest kitchens and restaurants.

The actual origin is unknown, and is considered to be a dish created by experience of the generations that were modelling it. The origin is shared with the “Cocido Montañés” or with the “Cocido Maragato”, among other stews that are made all around Spanish geography. Some people even consider it as an evolution of the Arab “Cous Cous”, others from the “Olla Poderida”, between others.

The popularity of the recipe has spread it all around Spain. It is usually ate as a unique dish for lunch in winter and the most classic way to serve it is separate in 3 different dishes.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of chickpeas.
• 600 g of beef shank or veal shank.
• 300 g of Veal brisket.
• 1 superior quarter of chicken or chick.
• 1 chorizo.
• 1 blood sausage.
• A good piece of fresh bacon.
• Half of a big cabbage or 1 if is small.
• 1 or 2 leeks.
• 3 or 4 carrots.
• 3 or 4 potatoes.
• 1 ham bone.
• 1 veal knee bone.
• 1 piece of salty backbone.
• 1 marrowbone.
• Salt
• Noodles

Time of preparation: 3 hours.

How to cook Cocido madrileño:

First step: Ingredients preparation.

To prepare the Cocido Madrileño, you have to put the chickpeas inside water and left them there for 12 hours. Then we have to drain the water and preserve the chickpeas.

Now is time to clean the bones and meats, we are going to use, with water very well to remove any possible dirty.

Finally, clean, peel and dice the potatoes, leeks, the cabbage and the carrots and preserve.

Top Tip: What most people do to have the chickpeas ready to make the dish for lunch is to put them inside water the night before.

Top Tip: if you don’t want the potatoes to melt, when you are dicing them, don’t finish the cut. This mean, make a small cut and then pull out the rest of the piece.

Second step: Preparing the stock.

Put all the meat and the bones inside the pot we are going to use to prepare our dish and put cold water inside until they are covered. Put the pot on a high heat fire.

When the water starts boiling, we should low the heat, and start removing the foam of the stock. Meanwhile, we should start putting the chickpeas inside the pot.

Once you have everything inside, leave the pot on low heat for two hours (15 to 20 min if you are using a Express Pot).

Top Tip: you can use a traditional pot or an Express Pot, in both cases the preparation is similar. The only difference is that, in the first one, you will need some hours to prepare it and use low heat. However, is always advisable to make it in the traditional one, it will be tastier but, if you don’t have time, use the Express one.

Third step: Cook the vegetables.

Now we take the bones out of the stock and add the cut cabbage, the leeks, the potatoes and the carrots.

The water should cover all the ingredients. If not, put water until they are completely covered.

Top Tip: if we add water, it should be hot to avoid lowering down the temperature of the stock.

Fourth step: Cook the rest of the meat.

While the vegetables are cooking, put on the fire a smaller pot, where you have to add the chorizo and the blood sausage, with some oil in the bottom.

We have to leave it cooking for another 30 or 40 minutes.

Top Tip: you should make some cuts in the chorizo and the blood sausage. This will help to degrease the meat and don’t add extra fat to the Cocido madrileño.

Fourth step: Prepare the final step.

When everything is cooked, we should rectify the salt and take out of the pot the stock to serve it as first plate. Put the stock in another pot to warm it again afterwards.

Take the chorizo and morcilla, that for sure are well degreased, and add them to the main pot.

Make sure that all the vegetables are well cooked before removing the pot from the fire.

Top Tip: you should strain the stock before serve because it could contain remaining pieces of bones or vegetables

Final Step.

Take some of the stock we put apart before and warm it. When it starts boiling, add the noodles and low the fire until the noodles are completely done.

Warm the rest of the stock and serve it adding some noodles in each plate, this will be our first dish.

The second dish, will be made up with the chickpeas and the diced vegetables in a plate that we will put in the middle of the table so each one can serve what they want.

Finally, the third dish will be formed by the bacon, chorizo and blood sausage, everything properly cut in generous pieces before.

Top Tip: Some people add to the second dish some olive oil and vinegar. They both give a special taste to the dish.