The Best Andalusian Cocido Recipe: A Spanish Chickpea Masterpiece.

By Edu Valor / Author - Spanish Chef

I had this dish for as long as I can remember. The Andalusian cocido recipe was a standard dish in our family with some minor twists every now and then.

I wouldn't call it a spectacular dish, but the health benefits make it one, much like with the Madrilenian and other cocidos. Natural dishes tend to have that reputation. 

Even as a kid, I enjoyed it each time it was on the table. Maybe I wasn't a picky eater; it just had that familiar taste that I liked. The variety of ingredients sure made it an appetizing dish too.

Andalusian cocido garnished with jamón serrano.

Andalusian cocido garnished with jamón serrano.

Traditional dishes like these don't easily lose their popularity because it's also understood the nutritional value it has.

You can't beat that type of culinary honesty, and there are several versions of the cocido all over Spain.

Some day I might take my time to find most of them to see which ones stand above the rest in terms of taste.

For me the Andalusian cocido recipe has that extra point over the Madrilenian version for the added taste from the tocino añejo.

Next on my list are:

• Cocido Maragato
• Cocido Montañés

...and many others will follow! The old winter dish is an ideal addition to the active person's diet, even in the summer. Nobody ever died from having nutrient-rich dishes in the summer.

Pringá, a mix of crushed stew meat.

Pringá, a mix of crushed stew meat.

What You Will Need

Is Pringá the Soul of Cocido or Puchero?

The meats in a cocido or puchero do contribute quite a taste to the stews. But meat pringá is rather a spin-off with its own character and taste. In fact, in Andalusia, many would argue that pringá is not just a by-product of the stew — it is the emotional payoff at the end of it.

In the Andalusian cocido recipe (often called puchero in Andalusia), you usually have chicken, pork (belly or panceta), and blood sausage (morcilla). Quite often there is also tocino añejo (cured pork fat), and sometimes beef shank or jarrete.

A crushed mixture of these is going to have a slightly different texture and taste compared to other stews. Partly because it’s not diluted by broth, chickpeas, or vegetables. It’s pure protein and fat, bound together by gelatin from slow cooking.

I know quite a few fellow Spaniards who just love the mishmash of different meats with that typical Spanish stew aroma. There’s something nostalgic about it.

Cocido and puchero have historically been peasant dishes — slow-cooked, economical, and designed to extract maximum flavor from inexpensive cuts. Pringá represents the reward after the meal.

It’s good, and it makes the cocido to what it is. If you’ve never had cocido, try this one, and you’ll know what I mean.

Traditionally, cocido is served in three stages (vuelcos), similar to the Madrilenian stew. We never had it that way. In our family it was limited to 2 vuelvos—first, the stew itself, and then all the meats together.

Pringá is slowly becoming a dish on its own.

Often served on a piece of bread or in a bun, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’d see burgers made out of it. (In fact, in Seville and Cádiz, you already find montaditos de pringá in many traditional bars.) That’s an idea I’m working on.

Some mothers and grandmothers made the pringá an art form. That’s how good they are. So much so that it became a dish on its own.

Today, sandwiches are made with this meat “crush”! It’s probably still in its beginning stages of popularity outside Andalusia, since not every bar or restaurant offers them. But in cities like Seville, a pringá sandwich is already a staple in traditional tabernas.

The art of the pringá is in using your fork to mash and cut the meats and fats together into a uniform, savory mix. The gelatin from the slow cooking binds everything naturally — no sauces needed.

The good thing is, besides being delicious, there’s no set standard, no set recipe to make pringá. You can use shoulder, beef, veal, chicken, pork belly, jamón, sausages, chorizo, morcilla, tocino, etc. Whatever meats are used for the stew.

In some households, even the marrow from beef bones gets mixed in. The composition depends entirely on what went into the cocido.

In short, whatever meat you use for stews or in this Andalusian cocido recipe can become pringá — transformed into something with its own fans.

And maybe that’s the real answer: pringá isn’t just the heart of cocido or puchero. It’s what remains when the broth is gone — the essence of it.

*****

Edu's Natural and Healthful Cocido Stews

Cocido Madrileño (Madrilenian cocido)

Cocido Andaluz (Andalusian cocido)