7 great Madrid stews to warm up

Happiness in three turns: the cold arrives and with it, the most emblematic spoon dish.

There is something revolutionary about Madrid stew, a dish capable of uniting the powerful and humble like no other. We find it in the posh restaurants of the city but also in those that only aspire to give well to eat, without further pretense, and in both cases it seems to be in its natural space. Soup, chickpeas, vegetables and meats, together and in perfect harmony, in a celebration of spooning suitable for both daily days and (increasingly, to take advantage of the siesta) holidays.

Here they go the 7 magnificent of Madrid stew.

Since in 2008 the Club de Amigos del Cocido recognized the stew of White Cross of Vallecas (Carlos Martín Álvarez, 58) as the best in Madrid, his fame has not stopped growing. Antonio Cosmen is the soul of a recipe made with time, care and good products, among which the chickpea from Ávila and the original chorizo, blood sausage and chicken from Asturias stand out, like Cosmen himself, who also makes another nod to his homeland including collard greens.

The mythical stew of Lhardy (Carrera de San Jerónimo, 8) could not be missing in the offer of this renewed megaclassic from Madrid, which returns through the front door from the hand of Pescaderías Coruñesas. In this new stage, everything has a surname: cabbage, potato and carrot from Carabaña; chorizo from León; Baeza onion black pudding; Galician beef black pudding, pickled ‘foie’ from Empordà & mldr; A gourmet fantasy that, yes, you pay for. Its 60 euros make it the most expensive in Madrid.

Saúl Sanz (thirteen, in General Pardiñas, 37) is one of the chefs who gives more joys in Madrid to hunting fans, so his stew could not be less. Substitute the black pudding or chicken for the hock of wild boar, deer, partridge or pheasant. In addition, it is completely defatted, making it a stew suitable for those looking for lighter options but with an equally powerful flavor.

On La Bodeguita del Arte, Chencho and Miguel Ángel Alonso, father and son, prepare to order one of the most special stews in the city. Cooked over low heat over olive wood in its original restaurant in Bargas (Toledo), it arrives at the place located in front of the Retiro (Menéndez Pelayo, 17) in a clay pot. In its three turns we find concentration of flavors, ingredients of the best quality and some differential feature such as soup, in which they give a choice between bread and noodles.

There are stews with a prologue, such as the one prepared by Carmen Carro in Pedraza Tavern (Recoletos, 4). In this case, it is a sumptuous croquette made with the meat of the stew and with part of the broth enriching the bechamel. Then comes the soup, the Pedrosilla chickpeas -without a trace of skins, very fine- and, finally, the meat section, in which the chorizo and the Beasain blood sausage shine with their own light. One of the most balanced in the capital.

Tavern of La Daniela (with stores in different locations) is a classic in the track record of the Madrid Cocido Route that chooses the best of the best every year. Special mention should be made of the Fuentesaúco chickpeas, perhaps the most remarkable thing in a stew with bacon, which arrives shaky, ready to be spread on bread. The rest of the ingredients are grated at a great height and the regularity is enviable: one of the stews that never fails.

Happiness in three turns: the cold arrives and with it, the most emblematic spoon dish.

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