How to make an Andalusian stew

How to make a pot from Cádiz .

A stew that is also prepared with slight variations in other parts of Andalusia. And as in all of Spain, each house has its own variations.

This stew that we could call the Andalusian stew is based on the mother of all stews, the Sephardic adafina.  A chickpea, vegetable and meat stew also typical of Sabbath and which, according to many experts, is the origin of great dishes in our cuisine such as Galician stew, Andalusian stew, Madrid stew or Asturian pot .

From Sephardic cuisine we will find many similarities with recipes from Aztec cholent, Yemeni gillah or Calcutta khamin, something similar to what happens with meatball recipes that we find throughout Europe.

This stew is one of those meat recipes that was talked about in the 19th century and from which you can make a lot of recipes such as picadillo soup or stew croquettes , to give just a couple of examples.

Once we have all that prepared, the stew recipe is very simple and also allows us to have a great base to prepare other dishes or eat it directly as a broth with vegetables and meat. Let’s go for a yummy pout, who’s up?

Before cooking the Andalusian stew. The chickpeas

1. One of the important steps is the choice of chickpeas. You have them as dried or already cooked legumes and you can find various sizes.
2. I like Castilian chickpeas of large size, spherical shape and a characteristic yellowish color. I recommend using dried chickpeas because they allow you to control the salt point of the stew by avoiding the treatments that canned foods bring.
3. The day before we put the chickpeas in warm water with a teaspoon of baking soda or a good handful of salt. We soak overnight, usually 12 hours.
4. It is important to wash them afterwards to remove possible impurities. Also, do not strain any damaged chickpea that can spoil a tooth.
5. We will only have to drain and set aside until the time to prepare the stew.
6. If you are going to use them already cooked, wash them very well without leaving any of the gelatin that surrounds the chickpea. We will add them at the end of cooking the Andalusian stew. Just so that they are well impregnated with the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.
7. I must admit that this type of chickpea already cooked and packaged in a glass jar saves a lot of time in the kitchen. Although it is better to use them for other types of dishes such as a hummus or a salad.

Preparation of the Andalusian stew. Cooking of meats and vegetables

1. We wash and peel the potatoes, carrots, turnips and celery sticks. We wash the leek, cut the greenest part and chop it.
2. We put a large enough pot with plenty of water on the fire and when it is hot add the chickpeas. Many people to do it faster usually do it in a fast pot, but I like it the old way, over low heat. Although it takes longer it seems to me that it looks better.
3. Add the bone-in meat first, and then the rest of the “accoutrements”, including the bacon. We also add all the vegetables.
4. We cook for 10 minutes over high heat and throw all the water that will take all the impurities and excess salt. It is good advice to make the broth lighter and smoother.
5. We fill with water again and cook everything together over medium or high heat, removing the foam that forms with a spoon or a slotted spoon.
6. We remove the vegetables once they are done and leave the meat and chickpeas on the fire.
7. Almost at the end we adjust the salt if necessary, when carrying the bone it gives it the necessary touch of salt. But if you need it, we rectify salt, always to taste.
8. When the chickpeas and meat are done, remove them to a separate plate and platter. We throw away the bones. We strain the broth and reserve it.
9. If you see that the stew broth evaporates a lot we add more water. And the issue of foam, you should remove it from time to time.
10. Once the meat has cooled down a bit, we crumble it with our hands and set aside.

Tasting of the Andalusian stew and how to make the famous pringá

1. We serve the broth with some noodles or with a little rice. The broth that we have strained and reserved, we put it on the fire and add a handful of noodles (this goes to the taste of each house).
2. Depending on the area of ​​Andalusia you will find variations of this pot. In Malaga, for example, you usually add a splash of lemon and a touch of mint.
3. It can also be accompanied by white bread, as is, or in fried bread cubes. Elsewhere we add the meat that we have minced and a few chickpeas.
4. And in Huelva I have tried it with hard-boiled egg, it looks great, like in the mincemeat. The latter must be the small cousin of a good pout.
5. Pringá is very easy to prepare. With the remains of the leftover meat, the bacon and part of the chickpeas we make like a paste. Directly with the fork, do not mess with this issue.
6. How everything is soft is very easy to mix. You can add a touch of salt and paprika (that goes for tastes) and spread on a good flatbread. A splash of good extra virgin olive oil and you will have a delicious toast.

You can see all the photos in the next album . Follow the step by step and I assure you that you will have an Andalusian pout of squirt at the first time.

Tips for an Andalusian pot stew

• Although this recipe takes a long time to cook, once all the ingredients have been put in the pot, you just have to watch it from time to time and remove the foam that appears. So while everything is cooking we can prepare other dishes or attend to our guests.
• The broth is the richest in this pot. It is usually taken first, I like it as it is, but the normal thing is to add some noodles, with a little white bread and a touch of fresh peppermint. In many sales in the Malaga area they serve it all together, add the chickpeas, the already minced meat and a few cubes of a good ham to the soup.
• The only preparation to do in advance is to remember to soak the chickpeas. Of course, the better these are and the vegetables and meat that we add to the casserole, the better the result, so it is worth getting all the ingredients in our trusted store or supermarket.
• We can take advantage of the pot to make a lot of recipes. For example, with the minced meat we can prepare croquettes or old clothes, while the vegetable once cooked is perfect to prepare a delicious cream.
• With the stew prepared and kept in separate pots for meat, chickpeas and vegetables, we have a great asset to preparing a delicious meal in just a moment.