022 Vuelta - Stage 20: Moralzarzal to Puerto de Navacerrada.
The riders are nearing Madrid. Today, they ended only about 40 miles away from the nation’s capital, which also serves as the finish line for the race. About a week ago, I had no idea what I was going to cook for the final week of the race. As you may recall, I was recently on vacation. Before we took the girls to Disney World, we visited my wife’s cousin who owns a Righton Books. I’ve received gifts purchased from their store, bought books online for myself, but this was the first time I was able to visit the location. My girls and wife all found books they wanted. But, luckily for me, they have a very strong cookbook section and I just so happened to pick up a tome on Spanish cooking. Today’s recipe comes from that cookbook, and certifies that every culture has its form of pot roast!
Spanish Pot Roast Boiled Meats and Chickpeas with Vegetables, from The Food of Spain, Claudia Rosen
1.75 cups dried chickpeas
1 lb beef chuck roast
2 marrow bones
½ lb slab bacon
4 chicken thighs
Onion, studded with 3 cloves
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
3 turnips, peeled and halved
8 small potatoes, peeled
½ lb savoy cabbage, quartered
½ lb chorizo
½ lb morcilla (optional)
½ package of vermicelli noodles
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water, adding in a teaspoon of baking soda, and soak overnight. Drain and rinse well, then drain again.
Place the beef, bones, chicken and bacon slab in a large pot, over high heat. Once the meat has sizzled for about 5 minutes, cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, removing any foam from the top. After 5 minutes, add in the reserved chickpeas. Return to a simmer and cook for an hour, removing any more foam that rises to the top.
After an hour add plenty of salt and top of the pot with more water. Cook for 90 more minutes, adding water, if necessary, to keep all of the pot contents just covered.
After the meat has cooked, for about 2 hours total, toss the vegetables in a separate pot of salted, boiling water. Drain, reserving the broth, and place the vegetables on a platter with the cooked beef and chicken and keep warm in the oven.
Once the meat and beans are tender, remove the large hunks of meat , bones and onion, then drain, reserving the stock and beans separately. Pour the stock through a strainer into a fat separator and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring the reserved vegetable broth to a simmer, then add in the separated beef stock and simmer the sausage(s) for about 10 minutes. Remove the sausage to the platter of meat and vegetables.
Bring the stock to a full boil, season with salt (if necessary) and add in the vermicelli. Boil the vermicelli for 1 minute, then let sit (covered) for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the garlic in oil, over medium heat, and brown the cabbage.
To serve, place a ladleful of beans into a bowl, followed by vermicelli and broth. Add meat and vegetables to the bowl and serve.
______________________________
Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
Comments