Pipirrana horcajeña, the recipe of the Manchego cold stew of December 7th.

Total: 1 h 5 min Diners: 4 +

I’m going to start this story with a tip: buy bread. You’re going to need it.

You’re going to need it because I’m going to tell you about the pipirrana horcajeña and to enjoy this dish prepare yourself a spoon in one hand and a piece of bread in the other.

There is no December 7 without pipirrana in the houses of Horcajo de Santiago (Cuenca). And so that you understand, I will clarify that the pipirrana horcajeña is not a salad or a cold dish, as is the pipirrana of the Extremadura, Murcia and Andalusia. Neither is it fresh. Nor does it have raw Vegetable Recipes. Nor does it serve as an accompaniment. The pipirrana horcajeña is a stew. A hearty stew full of cumin aroma, dried tomato and garlic. A brothy stew full of meat, mushrooms and cod flavor.

It has poultry, such as chicken, partridge, quail or pigeon. It has pork in the knuckle, chorizo and cured ham. It also contains salted cod, potatoes, mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. And it does not lack seasoning with dried tomato, garlic, black peppercorns and cumin. That we like the eclectic I think it has been clear.

The pipirrana is eaten in Horcajo when the body asks for everything but fasting. But, because of the ingredients it carries, numerous and powerful, it has become the typical dish of December 7. That is, the star dish of El Vítor.

El Vítor is the most important feast for the people of Horcajo. A feast in honor of the Immaculate Conception that is celebrated from 7 to 8 December. It is the longest procession (in length) of Christianity and the people stay up all night accompanying the Virgin’s banner through the streets. So, to withstand the cold of La Mancha, which does not come in peace, pipirrana is eaten for dinner.

How to make a good pipirrana horcajeña

For more flavor, the pipirrana is prepared the day before or the same day 7 in the morning. Despite being the typical dish of Horcajo, it is not served in any of the bars of the village, so it is made and eaten at home, with the family or prepared with friends.

If you are from Horcajo and on the 7th you are not in the village, if you can, you also cook pipirrana. Because, although that night you do not spend it outdoors in that place of La Mancha, that flavor takes away the cold that gives a December 7 away from home.

Ingredients

. Partridge, 1 pc (if you can’t find it, you can substitute it with other types of poultry) Quail, 1 pc Chicken leg, 1 pc Pork knuckle, 1 pc Chorizo, 1 pc per person Serrano ham, 100 g Salted cod, 100 g in one piece Fresh mushrooms, 200 g Cardoon mushrooms, 200 g Potatoes, 1 medium-sized piece per person Dried tomatoes, 10 or 12 pieces Garlic, 3 heads Cumin seeds, 1/2 tablespoon Black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon Bird’s eye peppers, 2 pieces (optional) Salt Water, as needed

Step 1

Peel the potatoes and cut them into three pieces. We also cut into large pieces the mushrooms and mushrooms that we have previously cleaned very well with a damp cloth.

Step 2

We put everything in a pressure cooker except the potatoes, cayenne, cumin and salt. The reason for leaving the salt for the end is because the piece of cod, which we will add whole, we are not going to desalinate it before using it, we will simply rinse it under a stream of cold water to remove the outer layer of salt, and it will be, along with the ham, the one that will bring seasoning to our stew.

This would be the way an experienced horcajeño would do it, but if you are afraid that adding the cod and ham without desalting the stew might make it excessively salty, you can desalt these two ingredients before and prepare the recipe by adding the salt to your taste from the beginning and, if necessary, rectify at the end.

We put water (we cover everything two fingers above). Once it starts to boil, leave it on the heat for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Destate and add salt. Add the potatoes and boil uncovered over medium heat (6/10) for about 10 minutes more (until the potatoes are well cooked).

Step 4

Scoop a piece of potato, half a head of garlic and a couple of sun-dried tomatoes. Add the pinch of cumin and crush it in a mortar.

Step 5

When we have mashed it, we add it to the pot and put it to boil over medium heat for 5 more minutes. If the broth is not thick enough, we can rectify it by mashing a little more potato.

Step 6

Remove all the meat and remove the garlic. Slice the chorizo sausages and shred the meat, both poultry and pork. Mix it again with the rest of the stew and serve.