Serves 8
Cocido is a peasant dish, variations of which have developed in all the different Spanish provinces. This is my simple version of the Cocido Madrileno that the ever-smiling Delfina used to prepare for us on cold, wet winter days in Segovia. The broths from the garbanzo beans and vegetables combine with fideos (vermicelli) to make a light soup for the first course. Then serve the vegetables, beans, and those strange paprika-and-saffron-flavored dumplings. Finish the meal with a very simple, crisp tossed salad. To go with it all, try a red Spanish wine.
• 1 lb. dried garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 3 onions
• 3 to 4 Tbs. olive oil
• salt
• 1½ lbs. potatoes (white-skinned if possible)
• 1½ lbs. cabbage
• 1 lb. trimmed leeks (about 2¼ lbs. untrimmed)
• ¾ lb. carrots
• pepper
• 3 oz. broken fideo noodles (vermicelli)
• dumplings
• 1 egg
• 3 to 4 Tbs. water
• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. crushed saffron threads
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight in 4 quarts of water with a pinch of baking soda. Then add 2 peeled onions, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the beans until they are perfectly tender, probably about an hour and a half.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peel the remaining onion and cut it in 1-inch chunks. Peel the potatoes and cut them in large cubes. Trim and core the cabbage and cut it in wedges or large pieces. Cut off the green tops of the leeks, trim the bottoms, and slice them in half lengthwise, almost to the bottom but leaving the two parts connected at the base. Scrape the carrots and cut them in 2-inch lenths.
3. Put all the vegetables in a large pot with 8 to 10 cups of water—just enough to comfortably cover them—and about 2 teaspoons salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook the vegetables 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are all tender.
4. To make the batter for the dumplings, beat together the egg, water, vegetable oil, salt, paprika, and saffron. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir them into the egg mixture.
5. About ½ hour before you want to serve dinner, drain the garbanzo beans, discarding the 2 onions and reserving the liquid. You should have at least a quart. Leave the garbanzos in just enough broth to keep them moist, cover them tightly, and place in a warm oven. Drain the vegetables, again reserving the broth, and keep warm, moist, and tightly covered, as you have the garbanzos.
6. Add 4 to 5 cups of the vegetable broth to the garbanzo broth, heat them together, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss in the broken fideos (vermicelli) and simmer until the noodles are tender—just 6 or 7 minutes. At the same time, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and drop the dumpling batter into it by scant teaspoonfuls. Cover the pot and leave the dumplings to cook for 20 minutes. They’ll be ready when you’re finished eating the soup course.
7. Pile the hot garbanzos in the center of a very large serving platter or shallow casserole and the vegetables in a ring around them. Drizzle the garbanzos and vegetables both with a few tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Lift out the dumplings with a slotted spoon, arrange them at either end of the platter, and serve.
