The cocido, literally a stew cooked in an olla, a round
earthen pot with a small opening at the top, resembling the bean
pot of Boston, is the classic dish of the country and a four-
course dinner in itself. There are 49 Provinces in Spain, and
regionalism is so strong it is said there are 49 national cocidos.
It is famous throughout Castile for its excellence, and especially
in Madrid, where it holds its own in spite of the keen competi-
tion of international dishes so lavishly offered by the smart hotels
and restaurants in that sophisticated city.
A noted chef of Madrid, who proudly brings this dish to a
rare perfection, and furnishes this recipe, says that there is no
cut-and-dried rule for what goes into the olla. That detail is
more or less left to the resources of the kitchen larder and the
genius of the cook. But the process of cooking, the wily whee-
dling of the fire, is a delicate operation and on it depends the
success or failure of the cocido.
It is not only a dish of delicious savor, but it is really most
economical; its rich broth furnishes the basis of various soups
and sauces for other meals, and the selection of its ingredients
allows a variation to fit the changing seasons and locality of
production.
Cervantes' Don Quixote says of the olla grande, the "grand
dish" to which game birds are added, "it is eaten only by canons
and bishops."
n8 THE EUROPEAN COOKBOOK
"Olla pudrida" translates literally "putrid pot," but this is
only a quirk of Spanish humor and is really an affectionate pet
name for the national dish. The Germans, however, add insult
to the injurious name by transferring it into their language as
stinktopf, stink-pot. The dish indeed is as "high" as an English-
man's grouse, which is ready for the grill when the leg-bones
have turned powdery and green and the bird finally drops off
them. The reason for suspecting the olla at all is merely that
the earthenware pot from which its name derives, is never
entirely emptied and washed out for a fresh beginning. It is like
the old-fashioned soup-pot, sitting unchanged on the back of
the stove, ready to receive any enriching tidbit to revivify the
brew. Furthermore, Spanish bacon, one of the olla's main in-
gredients, is usually greasy and rancid and since its strong savor
persists in the pot, in some out-of-the-way posadas, where re-
freshment is had for man and beast, this national cocido does
live up to its name.
An olla is also the porous clay water-pot, painted with fruits
and flowers, which stands on every Spanish table, cooling the
drinking water by evaporation. Where ice is scarce there is
no better way to keep water sweet and potable.
A STEW WITH WHEAT
{Olla con Trigo)
i cup wheat 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pig's ear 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pig's hocks 2 tomatoes, sliced
1 pint chick peas, soaked Salt
4 potatoes 54 teaspoon saffron✪ Olla con Trigo
Soak wheat in cold water 2 hours, put into a strong bag
and pound it to remove husks; wash the wheat free of husks,
and cook in unsalted water until tender. Meanwhile, put the
pig's ear and hocks into a deep pot, cover well with water and
SPANISH 119
Page 49 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1936. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The cocido, literally a stew cooked in an olla, a round earthen pot with a small opening at the top, resembling the bean pot of Boston, is the classic dish of the country and a fourcourse dinner in itself. There are 49 Provinces in Spain, and regionalism is so strong it is said there are 49 national cocidos. It is famous throughout Castile for its excellence, and especially in Madrid, where it holds its own in spite of the keen competition of international dishes so lavishly offered by the smart hotels and restaurants in that sophisticated city.
A noted chef of Madrid, who proudly brings this dish to a rare perfection, and furnishes this recipe, says that there is no cut-and-dried rule for what goes into the olla. That detail is more or less left to the resources of the kitchen larder and the genius of the cook. But the process of cooking, the wily wheedling of the fire, is a delicate operation and on it depends the success or failure of the cocido.
It is not only a dish of delicious savor, but it is really most economical; its rich broth furnishes the basis of various soups and sauces for other meals, and the selection of its ingredients allows a variation to fit the changing seasons and locality of production.
Cervantes' Don Quixote says of the olla grande, the "grand dish" to which game birds are added, "it is eaten only by canons and bishops."
"Olla pudrida" translates literally "putrid pot," but this is only a quirk of Spanish humor and is really an affectionate pet name for the national dish. The Germans, however, add insult to the injurious name by transferring it into their language as stinktopf, stink-pot. The dish indeed is as "high" as an Englishman's grouse, which is ready for the grill when the leg-bones have turned powdery and green and the bird finally drops off them. The reason for suspecting the olla at all is merely that the earthenware pot from which its name derives, is never entirely emptied and washed out for a fresh beginning. It is like the old-fashioned soup-pot, sitting unchanged on the back of the stove, ready to receive any enriching tidbit to revivify the brew. Furthermore, Spanish bacon, one of the olla's main ingredients, is usually greasy and rancid and since its strong savor persists in the pot, in some out-of-the-way posadas, where refreshment is had for man and beast, this national cocido does live up to its name.
An olla is also the porous clay water-pot, painted with fruits and flowers, which stands on every Spanish table, cooling the drinking water by evaporation. Where ice is scarce there is no better way to keep water sweet and potable.
A STEW WITH WHEAT {Olla con Trigo)
i cup wheat 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pig's ear 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pig's hocks 2 tomatoes, sliced 1 pint chick peas, soaked Salt
4 potatoes 54 teaspoon saffron
Soak wheat in cold water 2 hours, put into a strong bag and pound it to remove husks; wash the wheat free of husks, and cook in unsalted water until tender. Meanwhile, put the pig's ear and hocks into a deep pot, cover well with water and
Records on this page
Olla con Trigo