Country Stew with Chickpeas and Cabbage

In the book My Kitchen of Galicia by Isabel Meniño, she takes you to the northwestern part of Spain, where she shares recipes from her father’s kitchen. One of those dishes is this country stew with chickpeas and cabbage.

Meniño about this recipe:
My father’s recipe does not use the pig’s head and trotters, and I also vary the types and amount of meat.

Chicken thigh is delicious but not essential, and if I can get a piece of boneless Iberico or Serrano ham hock from a good butcher or delicatessen, I prefer to make a beautiful stock from it.

Method

Put the spareribs, Serrano ham and drained chickpeas in a large soup pot with 1.5 litres of cold water, the bay leaf, juniper berries, mace and salt. Bring to the boil and simmer gently over low heat for one hour.

Add the chicken pieces, chorizo sausages and potatoes, and continue to simmer gently for half an hour. Taste the broth now to see whether it needs further seasoning. The chorizo and Serrano ham release a lot of flavour and salt, but you may still want to add a little sea salt or white pepper.

Place the cabbage on top of the stew for the final 10 minutes if, like me, you enjoy vegetables with a bit of bite. Once the cabbage is steamed to your liking, remove all the ingredients from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on a preheated serving dish.

Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the meat, potatoes and vegetables. Strain the broth into a bowl and serve it separately. And, of course, don’t forget the bread for soaking up the delicious broth.

My Kitchen of Galicia

Isabel Meniño.
€ 29.99
Terra

Image: Danny de Jong