2023 Vuelta España - Stage 3: Súria to Arensol.
The race really heated up today as the riders hit their first mountainous stage of the race. Apparently, the theme of this year’s ride is a very mountainous one…following on the heels of the Tour de France’s crazy mountain stages, this should provide some beautiful scenery for us, and some sore legs for the riders. If you have Peacock, be sure to check out some of the race coverage. Today’s stage ends in the autonomous region of Andorra, the small landlocked country surrounded by the borders of Spain and France, and is the home to today’s meal. Escudella is a meat-filled flavorful stew that uses everything you might have on-hand, or in your freezer, including throwing some rice in at the end to make it even thicker. This is a fantastic fall or winter meal.
Escudella
1 cup mix of dried garbanzo and white beans
½ lb bacon, cut into ½ inch strips
1 chicken quarter (and backbone if you have one)
2 bone-in beef short ribs
1 beef bone (you can sometimes find these in the freezer next to the meat dept)
¼ lb pork ribs
1 oxtail section
1 rib of celery, rough chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 or 3 small potatoes, peeled and diced
Half of a small butternut squash, peeled and diced
Half of a small cabbage, cored and chopped
1 link of smoked chorizo, sliced ½ inch thick
1 link of your favorite white sausage, sliced ½ inch thick
½ cup of rice
Soak your beans for 6-8 hours prior to making the meal.
When ready to prepare the meal, add the bacon to a large dutch oven, set over medium heat. Once the bacon has rendered and is beginning to brown, add in the chicken, beef, pork ribs, oxtail, and bones.
Pour 20 cups of water into the pot, along with the drained beans and bring to a rolling boil, removing any foam that rises to the top for the first 5 minutes or so.
Once the foam has stopped rising to the top, add in the carrot, celery, leek and onion and continue to boil, uncovered, for about 2 hours, adding in another cup or two of water after 90 minutes.
After two hours of cooking, remove all of the meat and bones to a cutting board. Continue to cook the broth while the meat cools. After about 10 minutes, start removing the meat from the bones and discard any bones and excess fat.
Add the meat back to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients and a teaspoon of salt, some black pepper, and add in some additional water, if necessary. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Taste for any seasoning needs and let the pot sit, uncovered, for a few minutes prior to serving.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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