Cocido Madrileño
This shortened but classic-style Cocido Madrileño delivers a deep, savory broth, buttery chickpeas, tender vegetables, and a generous assortment of pork, blood sausage, and chicken. Served in its traditional three stages, it feels festive, comforting, and unmistakably Madrileño.
Ingredients
Caldo y carnes
- 240 gcooked chickpeas, drained
- 180 gpork belly, in 1 large piece
- 220 gbone-in chicken thigh
- 120 gchorizo
- 100 gmorcilla
- 150 gjamón serrano bone or ham hock
- 1.6 Lwater
- 120 gonion, halved
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- 1bay leaf
- 4 gfine salt
- 4black peppercorns
Verduras y guarnición
- 160 gcarrots, peeled and cut into thick batons
- 300 gwaxy potatoes, peeled and halved
- 220 ggreen cabbage, cut into wedges
- 15 mlolive oil
- 1garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 2 gsweet paprika
- 2 gfine salt
Sopa y acabado
- 40 gfine fideos noodles
- 5 gfresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •Using cooked chickpeas makes a 60-minute version realistic while preserving the spirit of the dish.
- •If you cannot find jamón bone, use a small smoked ham hock; the broth should taste meaty and cured, not heavily smoky.
- •For an even clearer soup, let the broth stand 2 minutes after cooking so the particles settle before straining.
- •A little sherry vinegar on the cabbage is not traditional in every house, but it can brighten the richness if desired.
Background
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.
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