Olla Valenciana

Despite logical variations depending on the region, olla is the most popular of the so-called “spoon dishes” and its consumption is obligatory in all households once a week. It differs from the cocido in that dry white beans are used for the olla. The most important rural dish in our cuisine has many names, such as olleta, olla de pueblo, olla de la plana and olla de recapte. Its main vegetable is cardoons, without which you cannot make a good stew.

Set the beans to soak the night before. Chop the meat into pieces. Put the beans, chicken, lamb, beef, bacon, trotters, snout, ear, turnips and the peeled, scraped and well cleaned stringless cardoons into a pan. Add cold water to the beans. Halfway through cooking, add the chicken, the black pudding and the green beans. When 20-25 minutes of cooking remain, add the potatoes, saffron and salt to taste. Serve the beans and vegetables as a first course and the meat and potatoes as a second course.