Olla Podrida

Olla podrida

Blood sausage and chorizo are two meats that flavor olla podrida.

A welcome addition to any fall or winter table, olla podrida is a rustic stew attributed to Burgos, a province in Spain's northwestern Castilla y León region. Rich in meats and vegetables, olla podrida also contains the flavor trinity most associated with Spanish fare: olive oil, onions, and garlic. As a traditional base, this combination integrates and intensifies the fresh ingredients in this classic dish. Hardy and evocative of the intense aromas common in Spanish dishes, olla podrida is considered a national treasure.

Prep Time

20 minutes
+ 2 hours 10 minutes resting

Cook Time

2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time

5 hours

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Kosher

Halal

Ingredients

1 pig ear
1 pig foot
1 lb (1/2 kg) pork ribs or ox meat
2 medium onions
2 bulbs garlic, peeled and separated
1 green pepper, halved
4 oz (120 g) slab bacon, cubed
2 Tbsp flour
1 hen
1 duck
1 partridge or quail
9 oz (250 g) lamb
4 oz (120 g) chicken livers and gizzards
1 rib celery, chopped
2 leeks, rinsed and rough chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
Olive oil
10 oz (300 g) canned navy beans
18 oz (500 g) canned red beans
3 blood sausages
3 Spanish chorizos
Salt, to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, soak the pig ear and trotter in water for two hours or longer.
Clean the pork as needed and rinse.
Dice one onion, mince 5 garlic cloves, and chop half the green pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon and add the onion, garlic and green pepper mixture.
Cook for a few minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons (30 g) of flour to the pan, stirring constantly to incorporate.
Set aside to cool before refrigerating.
Debone and break down the hen, duck, and partridge.
Into a large pot, place the fowl meat, pork ribs, sausages, lamb, livers, and gizzards.
Add the celery, the remaining onion (rough chopped), leeks, carrots, whole garlic cloves, some olive oil, and the bay leaf.
Cover all the ingredients with cold water and cook on high heat to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and continue cooking for two hours, skimming the surface regularly to remove any foam. Add water if necessary. (Meats will cook at different rates, with the fowl and liver finishing first, and the gizzards finishing last. Remove fast cooking meats and refrigerate them. )
When the meat is almost done, add the beans, pig's ear, trotter, and half of the soaking liquid to the pot. Simmer 5-10 minutes.
Add the remainder of the liquid to the simmering meat pot.
Simmer the refrigerated bacon mixture with the beans.
Cut all of the meat including chorizo and blood sausage into bite-sized pieces and add them to the bean mixture.
The remaining meat broth can either be strained and added to the beans or served as a thin soup to which each diner adds the beans and meat they choose.
Olla podrida is usually served with a rustic bread suitable for dipping.