EMPEDRAO
A dish of hunting roots...
This dish, traditionally made by hunters, owes its name to the beans. In the past, the beans were used whole, unmashed, which gave the appearance of a cobblestone pavement.
Furthermore, it was usually eaten in the same casserole, accompanied by a salad of spring onion or dried onion, depending on the season of the year. A wooden spoon was used to eat it and the oldest person was in charge of giving the order: “va de tros“. This was the signal for everyone to take a piece of meat at that moment, thus ensuring that everyone ate the same amount. At the time we are talking about, there was an acute shortage of food.
Ingredients
- Rabbit
- Rib
- Chicken
- 1kg of beans
- ½ kg rice
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Water
Preparation
First of all, heat the olive oil in a paella pan. The oil needs to be hot in order to put the ribs, chicken and rabbit inside.
During the frying of the meat, it is important to observe when it changes colour to a darker colour, as this will be the moment to add the tomato. Pour in water to cover the entire contents and salt to taste, season with saffron if possible, and leave to cook for 30 minutes. After this time, it is time to add the rice and keep it on the heat while we wait for it to cook.
In the meantime, we can move on to the next step, grinding the beans, using a blender.
Do not lose sight of the rice, as when it is cooked, the last step is to add the previously mashed beans, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking.
And herein lies the trick to this dish: that it is neither too brothy nor too thick, although that, as always, depends on the skill of the cook.
