We don’t know if there is the perfect formula to prepare an escudella (the Catalan Christmas broth) but this recipe will make you want to grab a spoon and sit down at the table to enjoy, first the broth with the galets, and then the meat d ‘cooking pot. The size of the galets is indifferent, there are those who prefer the bigger the better and others prefer smaller ones filled with meat.
What is worth it is visiting the trusted delicatessen to buy some good bones and some good pieces of meat. The escudella needs time, the more it cooks the better, the minimum is three hours, but if it can be five hours the better. It is also important to let the broth rest until the next day so that the aromas concentrate and it can be degreased as needed. Aside from all that, making the escudella is very easy, so prepare the largest pot you have and you won’t regret it.
For the broth:
>A chicken room
>1 chicken, quartered
>4 pork spine bones
>1 pig’s foot
> 2 beef bones, from the knee part
>1 ham bone
> 1 black sausage
>1 white sausage
>2 large onions
> 2 carrots
>1 leek
>1 too
>1 parsnip
>1 stick of celery
>1 large potato
>100 grams of chickpeas
>A bay leaf
For the balls
>150 grams minced pork
>150 grams minced beef
>1 her
>Parsley
>1 slice of bread
>Milk
>Salt and pepper to taste
1 Wash, peel and cut the vegetables.
2 Use a kitchen net or new cheesecloth to put the chickpeas and bay leaf. If you use gauze, tie with thread.
3 In a large bowl, place the bones and pig’s foot and cover with water and vinegar. Leave it like this for 10 minutes and this way you will get the bones to bleed out.
4 In a large pot (for example, a six-liter one) place the bones and the rest of the ingredients except the sausages, chickpeas and potatoes, and cover with water until the pot is full.
5 Start cooking over high heat, until it starts to boil. Then lower the heat and let it cook covered for a minimum of three hours.
6 Remove any impurities that remain on the surface.
7 When there are two hours left to strain the broth, add the chickpeas, and after an hour the sausages and the potato.
8 While the broth cooks, prepare the balls.
9 Soak the bread with the milk. Drain and reserve. Mix the rest of the ingredients with the bread and knead well until everything is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste, form into balls of the size you prefer and set aside.
10 Once the broth is cooked, strain it with a strainer so that it is clean of impurities.
11 Reserve the meat (pig’s feet, chicken, hen) and the chickpeas, the potato, the sausages and place on a platter.
12 Bring the broth to a boil again.
13 Coat the balls in the flour and add them to the broth.
14 Add the galets, and let them boil for the time indicated by the manufacturer. Adjust salt if necessary.
15 First serve the broth with the pellets and the galets, then serve the dish with the meat, chickpeas and potatoes.
Difficulty: medium
Time: 4 hours
Servings: 6
Caloric intake: 410
