Botillo with potatoes and turnip greens

How to make botillo with turnip tops and potatoes . The botillo, I butelo or botelo , is one of the recipes with meat that can be found in Galicia in times of killing of the pig.

Although it is not traditional in all the provinces of the community, its production and consumption is deeply rooted in areas of Ourense and Lugo. Today I want to bring you the recipe for how to prepare botillo at home, a botillo with turnip tops and potatoes .

In the Barco de Valdeorras in Ourense and in A Fonsagrada in Lugo, it is perhaps the places where the preparation of this meat dish is, year after year, a reason for celebration. The Festa do Botelo in the Barco de Valdeorras has been celebrating for 16 years .

This Galician meat product, which has IGP (protected geographical indication) is a kind of sausage that is mainly made from pork rib accompanied by other parts of the animal such as head, spine or others. All these different parts of the pig are closed in the pig’s stomach once marinated and macerated, to end up being smoked and cured before consumption.

After a long cooking process, the botillo becomes a flavor dish, with a spicy touch, that will delight diners, always accompanied by some Galician potatoes, some delicious chorizos and the classic Galician turnip greens.

Either as an accompaniment to our great botillo or in a host of possible recipes such as cannelloni , omelette with chorizo , pizza with pork , in the traditional Galician broth  or in stew .  The turnip tops are a healthy alternative at our fingertips throughout the year.

Preparation of the botillo

1. The most important thing when preparing a botillo is to cook without haste, it is a recipe almost Sunday. It requires a long and slow cooking, without haste and without disturbing it once in the casserole.
2. We put the botillo in a saucepan and cover it with water. We cook the botillo for about 2 hours approximately.
3. It is important that if it runs out of water in the cooking add a little more.
4. If the skin of the botillo has not broken during cooking, it is advisable to prick it with a fork so that the meat releases its juice. Thus the broth will get more flavor and that rich red touch.
5. If you want to save time, in the express pot it would be about 35 minutes.

Preparation of the accompaniment and final presentation

1. Peel the potatoes and add them, along with the Torre de Nuñez chorizos, to the casserole. We continue cooking for 30 more minutes.
2. Add the turnip tops from A Rosaleira and continue cooking for 10 or 15 more minutes. If necessary, add some water.
3. We serve the botillo very hot, presenting it on the table already open and accompanied by the turnip greens, the sausages and the potatoes.

It is a perfect winter dish to enjoy, in company and accompanied by a wine, a whole recipe for yummy.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.  

Tips for a squirt bottle

• The resulting broth will be perfect for preparing delicious soups, to which you can add, for example, some noodles. There are many ways to taste this delicacy, the botillo. For example in pie, in puff pastry, in rice or accompanied with other vegetables such as white cabbage or collard greens.
• As in everything, botillos or bottles are of different qualities. It is preferable to spend something more and get a good quality one, from Galicia Calidade and trustworthy, that of Torre de Nuñez.
• Everything is usually served together as you see in the photo. With a lot of vegetables to compensate, the potatoes, sausages and the botillo in pieces. This will make it easier to then serve the dish, each to taste, as if it were a stew.
• If you are afraid of being broken in the cooking we can wrap the botillo in a cotton cloth. So that it remains whole until the end of the preparation. You can also use the typical cloth sack, similar to that of cooking chickpeas.
• You can also accompany it with the wonderful red broth that has resulted from cooking, as if it were the first course. And eager to make a good after-dinner, nap included.