Cocido Madrileño

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse the cooked chickpeas well. Put the pork belly, chicken thigh, chorizo, morcilla, ham bone, water, onion, crushed garlic, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns into a pressure cooker. Bring just to a boil, skimming any foam for a cleaner broth. Lock the lid and cook at pressure for 25 minutes.

   240 g cooked chickpeas, drained180 g pork belly, in 1 large piece220 g bone-in chicken thigh120 g chorizo100 g morcilla150 g jamón serrano bone or ham hock1.6 L water120 g onion, halved2 garlic cloves, crushed1 bay leaf4 g fine salt4 black peppercorns
2. 2

   Release the pressure quickly but carefully. Open the cooker and add the chickpeas, carrots, and potatoes. Return to pressure and cook for 8 minutes more. This staged cooking keeps the legumes and vegetables intact rather than blown out.

   240 g cooked chickpeas, drained160 g carrots, peeled and cut into thick batons300 g waxy potatoes, peeled and halved
3. 3

   While the pot cooks, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Drain well.

   220 g green cabbage, cut into wedges2 g fine salt
4. 4

   Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until pale gold, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the paprika, then toss with the drained cabbage. Keep warm. Do not let the paprika fry over direct heat for long or it can turn bitter.

   15 ml olive oil1 garlic clove, thinly sliced2 g sweet paprika220 g green cabbage, cut into wedges
5. 5

   Open the cooker. Lift out the meats and vegetables carefully. Strain 700 ml of the broth into a saucepan for the soup. Taste the remaining broth and adjust salt only if needed; the ham and sausages already contribute salinity.

6. 6

   Bring the reserved broth to a boil, add the fideos, and simmer for 4-5 minutes until tender. The noodles should be soft but not bloated.

   40 g fine fideos noodles
7. 7

   Slice the chorizo and morcilla into thick rounds. Cut the pork belly into serving pieces and separate the chicken from the bone. Arrange the chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and meats on a warm platter. Sprinkle with parsley.

   240 g cooked chickpeas, drained120 g chorizo100 g morcilla180 g pork belly, in 1 large piece220 g bone-in chicken thigh160 g carrots, peeled and cut into thick batons300 g waxy potatoes, peeled and halved220 g green cabbage, cut into wedges5 g fresh parsley, chopped
8. 8

   Serve in the traditional order: first the fideos soup, then the chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the meats. Spoon over a little hot broth at the table to keep everything juicy.

   40 g fine fideos noodles

Origin & History

Cocido Madrileño is Madrid's emblematic boiled dinner, descended from earlier chickpea stews that evolved over centuries in central Spain. It is classically served in vuelcos, or successive courses: soup first, then chickpeas and vegetables, and finally the assorted meats. The dish reflects the city's taste for robust, communal, slow-cooked food.