the railway pot, the rabbit gurullos and the disarmament stew

Spain is the land of pots. You can try dozens and dozens of variations of stews, kettles, stews, pots, stews… There are so many that surely some are totally unknown to you. This is why Pepe Barrena’s book is so necessary: ​​’pout‘ (Dome).

It tells us in its pages stories and etymologies of pout, from the most sumptuous to vegans, those from Andalusian patios or those with the most particular names, ending the feast with the gift of contributions from starred chefs with their versions of the puchero to make at home. All complemented by a recipe book suitable for all spoon and goo lovers, an infallible prelude to a good siesta.

From their wide selection of prescriptionswe have selected three that will surely not seem familiar to you (or to us): the railway pot, the rabbit gurullos and the disarmament stew.

railway pot

The railway pot It was an invention of the old machinists, drivers and brakemen of the Coal Railway that made the route between La Robla (León) and Balmaseda (Vizcaya), better known as the La Robla Railway, to transport the coal from the mines of Leon to the Basque factories crossing the aforementioned provinces as well as those of Palencia, Burgos and Santander, today Cantabria. Due to the great distance, the duration of the journey and the extreme weather conditions encountered on the railway in winter, the need arose to cook a hot meal during the journey.

It was made in a clay pot which was inserted into a metal structure in which hot coal was placed at the bottom like a fire; This structure had a handle to be able to move it during cooking. But, in the beginning, a tube was used that connected the coil of the locomotive to a ship, making excellent steamed stews. Subsequently, the resourceful railroad workers substituted charcoal or charcoal for steam and began cooking in the caboose of the train. In addition to a good pot, good heating.

East recipe, with potatoes and beefwas the train people’s favourite.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 400 g rib and beef

• 1 kg of potatoes

• 100g onion

• 80g carrot

• 80g leek

• 100 g plain tomato

• 80g red pepper

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 sprig of thyme

• 5g sweet paprika

• Olive oil

• Water and salt

• Clarified meat broth and white wine (both optional)

Elaboration

1. Heat the oil and sauté in this order the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and the ribs and beef, all in small pieces.

2. Once well sautéed, add the chopped onion, the chopped carrot, the minced leek, the red pepper in strips and the tomato cut in four and sauté everything.

3. Add the peeled and cascading potatoes and the paprika, salt and cover with water. Cook over low heat until the meat and potatoes are tender and check the salt.

4. If you wish, and to make the pot more substantial, you can add or even cook the ingredients in a clarified meat broth, adding a dash of white wine to the sauce. Pork can also be used instead of beef.

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rabbit gurullos

The gurulos It is a type of artisan pasta made from durum wheat flour, water and salt. Once kneaded, the strips are made like thick noodles, rubbing them between the palms of the hands. Then the strip is taken with one hand and with the index finger and thumb of the other skillful turns are given so that a few pieces stick out like grains of wheat or a little longer. They are left to dry on the roof of the house on a white tablecloth and they are ready to use. The gurullos, very similar to the “fidaws” that Ibn Razin reflected in his writings, are very popular in Almería.

As for rabbit and your luck, remember that, for the Phoenicians, Hispania meant “land of rabbits”, since this rodent occupied practically all the regions and ecosystems of the “bull’s skin”. The rabbit was the centerpiece of the humble hunter until almost the 20th century. It was also the favorite holiday of the Iberian lynx and the imperial eagle, the great predators of Bugs Bunny’s parents. But, although they are very prolific and adaptable to any type of diet, two diseases mistakenly invented by man to control their populations, along with the use of fertilizers and herbicides, the removal of brush and frontiers in intensive agriculture, have alarmingly reduced the kind of . We are referring, of course, to the wild rabbit, the one used by chef Antonio Carmona, already mentioned previously for his marine chapter paprika broth, in this soothing recipe. It’s the lucky rabbit.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 1 kg field rabbit

• Gurullos (kind of artisan pasta 1 cm long)

• 2 medium potatoes

• 1 onion

• 1 green pepper

• 1 dried red bell pepper

• 2 tomatoes

• 200g fresh broad beans

• 3 cloves of garlic

• Parsley

• virgin olive oil

• Saffron

• Salt

for the gurulos

• 100g wheat flour

• 4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil

• Salt

• about 1 dl of water

Elaboration

1. Prepare the dough for the gurullos in an artisanal way by mixing flour, oil, a pinch of salt and water. Knead well and make long strips with the palms of your hands, then cut them with your fingertips, giving them the shape of grains of wheat (a little longer).

2. Cook the broad beans in a saucepan with water until tender and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, cut the rabbit into pieces and chop the tomatoes, green pepper and onion.

4. In a casserole dish with hot olive oil, brown the garlic and the dry chilli. Remove them and mash them with the parsley and saffron. To book.

5. In this same oil, brown the rabbit, add the chopped vegetables and brown everything for about 15 minutes. Then add the water and the ‘majao’ and increase the heat. When it begins to boil, add the potatoes (cut into cubes), the beans and salt. Lower the heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Add the gurullos and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

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disarmament soup

Every October 19, restaurants in Oviedo celebrate Disarmament Day with a menu of stewed tripe, rice pudding and this cod and spinach stew whose origin lies in the first Carlist war. A gastronomic festival that is the oldest in Asturias and that has many theories and few certainties, as Eufrasio Sánchez, Asturian gastronomic journalist and history connoisseur, assures me.

Nothing better, therefore, than to pay attention to another great specialist in the vicissitudes of Asturian cuisine, the fine palate philologist Eduardo Méndez Riestra, who assures that in the past 40 years the Franco regime decided to recover the party when he saw Le, the time had come to motivate the public with some profane celebration, since the carnival was still forbidden. A large number of restaurants have been able to make use of it. The authorities covered it with a patriotic veneer, making it appear that this party was against the French and that it was celebrating the disarmament of Napoleon’s invading troops after 1808. A baseless fantasy that tried to make people believe that this chickpea menu with cod and spinach followed by Asturian tripe it celebrated something like the traditional uprising of the good Spaniards against the invader. This rancid patriotism would soon be defeated.

Among the many stories that circulate about the origin of disarmament, we are left with the one that tells that during one of the Carlist wars, it was proposed to celebrate a meal of fraternization between the contending troops, in the area of ​​Llanera, in order to begin a period of future reconciliation. What was believed to be a well-intentioned idea was nothing more than a clever ruse to disarm opponents during the meal. Maybe we’ll be wrong, but it’s a nice joke to season this healthy dish.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• ½ kg desalted cod

• ½ kg of chickpeas

• ½ onion

• 1 clove of garlic

• Plain flour

• 2 bunches of spinach

• 1 dl of olive oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

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For the stir-fry

• 50 g of tomato sauce,

• 1 splash of white wine

• ½ onion

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• Salt

Elaboration

1. The day before, soak the chickpeas in lukewarm water and salt.

2. Pour plenty of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, add the chickpeas, which must be covered with water to the level. Skim from time to time and, more or less halfway through cooking, add a drizzle of olive oil and the half-peeled onion.

3. Blanch the spinach in a saucepan with boiling water, drain and chop finely. To book.

4. When the chickpeas are tender but whole, add the spinach and half the desalted cod. Simmer just long enough for the cod to be juicy.

5. In a pan with a little oil, sauté the peeled and finely chopped onion with the minced garlic until they begin to colour; add the tomato sauce, paprika and white wine and salt. Pour this sauce into the casserole dish with the chickpeas and mix well.