Escudella De Pages (Country Stew)
Submitted by KatGKitty
Escudella de pages, a traditional Catalan country stew with veal, chicken, salt pork, cabbage, beans, rice, and pasta in a saffron-scented bone broth. Old-world Spanish peasant food that eats like a meal in a bowl.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsEscudella is the soul stew of Catalonia, a farmhouse classic that empties the pantry into one pot and somehow makes it greater than the sum of its parts. The foundation is a slow-simmered broth from veal and ham bones, seasoned with a thread of saffron that perfumes the whole pot gold.
Blanching the salt pork before dicing is a step worth doing. It pulls out the brine-heavy edge so the cured pork adds richness without overpowering the delicate broth.
The chicken and veal cook slowly in the onion-pork base, absorbing the aromatics before joining the broth. That layered build is why escudella tastes deeper than a dumped-and-simmered stew.
Beans, rice, and pasta all go in at the end. The starches thicken the broth into something between soup and stew, which is exactly where this dish wants to live.
Pro Tips
- Roast the bones for 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C) before simmering if you want a deeper, amber-colored broth.
- Bloom the saffron threads in a tablespoon of warm broth for 10 minutes before adding. You’ll get more color and flavor than tossing them in dry.
- Soak dried Great Northern beans overnight if you’re not using canned. They’ll cook through in the stew time.
- Add the rice and pasta as close to serving as possible. Leftovers turn mushy if they sit in the broth.
Variations
- Add a small chunk of chorizo or morcilla for a smokier, more authentically Catalan version.
- Stir in a handful of chickpeas alongside the white beans for more variety.
- Top bowls with a dusting of grated Manchego cheese just before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Make a good broth with the water, veal and ham bones, simmering slowly.
When nearly done, add salt to taste and the saffron.
Blanch the salt pork to remove the excess salt, then dice.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the diced salt pork and chopped onions.
When the onions begin to brown, add the pieces of chicken and veal and allow to cook slowly.
Peel the potatoes, leek and carrots, chop them fairly finely, then add to the skillet with the chicken and veal.
Chop the cabbage finely and add to the skillet.
Give it all a good stir.
Remove the bones from the broth and discard.
Empty the contents of the skillet into the broth, then add the beans, rice and pasta.
Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice and pasta are done, then serve very hot.
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