- Cocido

Ingredients:

Chickpeas- 1/4 cup dry per person, 1 chorizo sausage, chopped, chicken legs (optional), beef bone for stew, 1-2 potatoes, sliced and diced, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup green beans washed and chopped, 3-5 cloves garlic, peeled, 3-4 black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cumin, and white wine to taste.  (for stronger flavor, you can also add chicken or beef broth instead of the water, or bouillon)

Preparation:

You can buy the chickpeas dried or canned, if you buy them dry leave them in water the night before you are going to cook. Dried chickpeas taste better.  You can find them with Mexican or Indian food supplies.  You should drain the water the chickpeas were soaking in.  You can add a pinch of baking soda to the chickpeas the night before, which will help soften them.  Put the chickpeas in the pot and fill it with water about halfway to the top.  Bring the peas to a boil.  Add the beef, chorizo, chicken, potatoes and carrots and leave the cocido on the stove at medium to medium low heat for about 1 hour- just make sure there is enough water in the pot as the water will gradually cook off. The meat is to add flavor, so do not use too much. After the hour, crush the garlic, black pepper, and cumin all together with a mortar and pestle.  Add the white wine to the mix and add it to the pot.  Leave the cocido cooking for another hour. When it is done you should separate out the liquid.  The liquid broth is used to make noodle soup, with fine egg noodles, then serve the chickpeas and beans, then the meat is the final course, if you can eat any more.