SERVES 6
Across much of the central heartland of Spain, cocido is prepared in what today they call “Madrid-style.” That the most country-esque dish in Spain is the one most associated with its capital city says a lot about the rustic nature of Spanish cuisine. Another winter dish synonymous with the capital is callos a la madrileña, a succulent stew of tripe with the pig’s snout and feet, garbanzo beans, and plenty of spices. Both are typical examples of a dish’s urban migration (in this case, from Extremadura and Andalucía) and continued popularity among the masses—of all classes.
As in some other of Madrid’s finest, most classical restaurants (Lhardy comes to mind), cocido is a star attraction at the Ritz Hotel—one of the original three Ritz hotels (with Paris and London). Along with a sophisticated repertoire of game and wild mushroom dishes, cocido doesn’t feel out of place in their Belle Époque–style Goya Restaurant. At the Ritz, they follow the age-old way of serving the cocido in tres vuelcos, literally “three overturnings,” meaning courses: the soup, the vegetables, and then the meats. In the labyrinthine subterranean kitchen, I learned to prepare this signature plate, which I have adapted here for the home kitchen. One of the many nuances that separates their cocido from others is boiling the chorizos separately (with the blood sausage) so that the oily red color from the paprika doesn’t bleed into the broth, and the final broth stays a rich golden color.
Some clients at the Ritz—and there are many who come faithfully for the cocido—request a small bowl of tomato sauce to spoon over the garbanzo beans. Here, I suggest adding a pinch of ground cumin to the sauce in the manner of some madrileños.
1. The night before, rinse the garbanzo beans with water. Place them in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water, and soak for at least 12 hours. (If the water is “hard,” add ½> teaspoon baking soda.) Drain, rinse away any yeasty or fermenting odors, and drain again. Tie the beans in a piece of cheesecloth, which will make removing them easier.
2. In a large soup pot, add the veal shank, beef and ham bones, oxtail (if using), and salt pork. Cover with 4 quarts/4 L cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. Add the beans and leeks. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Add the chicken and simmer for 1½> hours.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg and milk and blend in the ground meats, 1 garlic clove, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and begin working in the breadcrumbs. Roll the mixture into two long cylinders, each about 1½> to 2 inches/4 to 5 cm in diameter and about 6 inches/15 cm long. In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat, add the meat cylinders, and brown, about 5 minutes, turning as needed. Remove and reserve.
4. In a saucepan, add about 1 cup/240 ml of the simmering broth, 1 cup/240 ml water, and the chorizo and morcilla. Bring them to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and gently boil until the sausages are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered in the saucepan until ready to serve.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage and a generous pinch of salt; cover the pot and gently boil until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer it to a colander to drain and cool. In a large, deep sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, add the remaining garlic, the pimentón, and boiled cabbage; season with salt; and sauté for about 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and cover the pan to keep warm.
6. Once the chicken has simmered for 1½> hours, add the carrots, potatoes, and meat cylinders to the pot. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the beans can be easily pinched between thumb and forefinger, about 30 minutes.
7. Strain the broth into a clean saucepan. There should be between 7 and 8 cups/1.7 and 2 L. (Cover the meats, vegetables, and beans to keep warm.) Bring the broth to a boil, add the pasta, and boil until it is al dente, 2 to 3 minutes, following the time indicated on the package. Ladle the soup and pasta into bowls and serve as a first course.
8. Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce, and stir in the cumin. Cover and set aside.
9. For the second course, remove the beans from the cheesecloth, arrange them with the vegetables on a large platter, and serve with the tomato sauce.
10. For the third course, cut the meats and meatballs into serving-size pieces and serve on another platter.