Escudella i carn d'olla – Catalan meat stew with galets soup
Catalonia's Christmas Day pot, also made on winter Sundays: chicken, beef, butifarra sausages, a big meatball (pilota), chickpeas and vegetables simmered slowly. The broth becomes a soup with large pasta shells (galets), eaten first; then comes the carn d'olla, the meat and vegetables. Some serve it all together.
- 15 h 08Time
- 50 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 77 gprotein per portion
- 1150kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 200 gWhole dried chickpeas
- ≈ 4 lWater, cold
- 500 gChicken legs, 2 whole legs
- 300 gBeef shank, in one piece
- 1Ham bone
- 300 gBeef marrow bones
- to tasteSalt
- 250 gMixed mince
- 1Egg
- 3 tbspBreadcrumbs
- 1 cloveGarlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbspParsley, chopped
- 1 tbspPlain flour
- 2Carrots
- 1Turnip
- 1Parsnip
- 1Celery, stick
- 1Leek
- 1Butifarra (Catalan sausage), white
- 1Spanish blood sausage (morcilla), ideally butifarra negra
- 4Potatoes
- ½White cabbage
- 160 gPasta, galets (large pasta shells)
Method
- The night before, put the chickpeas to soak in plenty of lukewarm water.
- Put the chicken, beef shin, ham bone and beef bones in a large pot of at least 8 litres. Pour over the cold water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam that rises.
- Drain the chickpeas, put them in a net bag and lower them into the pot. Reduce the heat, half-cover and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pilota: mix the mince with the egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and some salt. Shape into one or two long meatballs and roll them in flour.
- Peel the carrots, turnip, parsnip and potatoes and trim the celery and leek. Leave the vegetables whole or in large pieces, and cut the cabbage into two wedges.
- Add the pilota, carrots, turnip, parsnip, celery, leek and white butifarra to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cabbage and black butifarra and salt the broth. Simmer for another 20–25 minutes, until everything is tender.
- Strain about 1.5 litres of the broth into a saucepan. Keep the meat, sausages, chickpeas and vegetables warm in the covered pot with a little broth.
- Bring the broth to the boil, add the galets and cook for about 15 minutes, until tender.
- Serve the soup with the galets first. Then slice the pilota and sausages, cut up the meat and arrange it all on a platter with the chickpeas and vegetables.
