Chef Isabel
Botifarra amb Mongetes
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Androlla Gallega con Cachelos y Grelos
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Androlla is Galician winter food from the eastern mountains: smoked pork rib and skin, cured with pimentón, boiled slowly until tender, then served with cachelos and greens.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Comfort Food
One Pot
Special Occasion
15 min
Active Time
2 hr 15 min cook•2 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings
Androlla Gallega belongs to the mountains of eastern Galicia, especially around Lugo and Ourense, where pork ribs, skin, garlic, salt, pimentón, and smoke became a sausage for cold days and Entroido. It is cousin to botillo, yes, but not the same animal on the plate. Androlla is usually slimmer, often more rib than meat, and it wants long, gentle boiling until the bone gives its flavor and the casing stays whole.
The method that decides it is the simmer. Don't let the pot thrash. Prick the casing in a few places, cover the androlla well with cold water, and keep it at a quiet tremble. A hard boil bursts the casing, drives the fat into the water, and leaves you with scraps where there should be thick slices of smoky rib and skin. Slow water is not laziness here. It's the dish.
Serve it the Galician way, with cachelos, potatoes boiled in their skins or in rough chunks, and grelos, turnip greens, or berza if that's what you can get. If you're far from Galicia, no hace falta haber pisado España. Botillo del Bierzo is the closest substitute, though it is larger and meatier, so give it more time. If you have neither, use good smoked pork ribs with Spanish chorizo in the pot and say plainly what it is: a workaround, not androlla.
My Margin beside this one says only: "no la apures," don't rush it. That is enough. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Androlla belongs to the pork-curing country of eastern Galicia, especially the interior comarcas where the matanza filled the winter larder with salted, smoked, and stuffed pieces. It is closely tied to Entroido, the Galician Carnival season, when rich pork dishes were served before the leaner weeks that followed. Its kinship with botillo from nearby El Bierzo shows how mountain food crosses borders, but Galician androlla keeps its own shape, casing, smoke, and table custom.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
androlla gallega
Quantity
1, about 900g to 1.1kg
waxy potatoes
Quantity
1.5kg
peeled and cut into large chunks, or small potatoes left whole
grelos (Galician turnip greens), berza, or kale
Quantity
600g
washed and trimmed
bay leaf
Quantity
1
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
to finish
coarse salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| androlla gallega | 1, about 900g to 1.1kg |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cut into large chunks, or small potatoes left whole | 1.5kg |
| grelos (Galician turnip greens), berza, or kalewashed and trimmed | 600g |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| olive oilto finish | 2 tablespoons |
| coarse salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy pot or olla, at least 6 litres
- •Needle or small sharp knife
- •Tongs or two large spoons
- •Carving board
Instructions
- 1
Rinse and prick
Rinse the androlla under cool water and pat it dry. Prick the casing five or six times with a needle or the tip of a small knife, just enough to let pressure escape. Don't slash it. You want the fat and pimentón to season the broth slowly, not run out in the first half hour.
- 2
Start cold
Put the androlla in a wide heavy pot and cover it with cold water by 5cm. Add the bay leaf and bring it up slowly over medium heat. When the water begins to move, lower the heat until it holds at a bare simmer, with only the smallest bubbles breaking at the edge.
- 3
Simmer gently
Cook the androlla gently for about 1 hour 45 minutes, turning it once with two spoons if it floats. Do not boil hard. That quiet tremble is what keeps the casing whole and gives the ribs time to soften. If the water drops below the sausage, add a little hot water to cover.
- 4
Add potatoes
Add the potatoes to the same pot and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes, depending on their size. Salt carefully now, only after tasting the broth, because the androlla has already given salt to the water.
- 5
Cook the greens
Add the grelos for the last 8 to 12 minutes, just until tender but still green. If using tougher berza or kale, give it 15 minutes. The greens should taste of the smoky broth without collapsing into it.
- 6
Rest and slice
Lift out the androlla and let it rest on a board for 10 minutes. Slice it thickly, between the rib pieces where you can, and serve with the cachelos and greens. Spoon over a little broth and finish the vegetables with olive oil. Tal como se hace allí: simple, smoky, and filling.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the androlla from a Galician or Spanish charcuterie supplier if you can. It should smell smoky and clean, with pimentón showing red through the casing. If it smells sour or harsh, leave it.
- •Botillo del Bierzo is the nearest substitute, but it is usually larger and meatier. Cook it the same gentle way, and add 30 to 45 minutes before the potatoes go in.
- •If you cannot find androlla or botillo, use 900g smoked pork ribs plus 150g Spanish chorizo. It will give you a good Galician-minded pot of pork, potatoes, and greens, but it is not androlla. Better to name the compromise than pretend.
- •Grelos are the right green if you can get them. Turnip greens are closest. Berza, collards, or kale work, but they bring a stronger, earthier taste and need a few more minutes.
- •Leftover broth is worth keeping. Strain it and use it the next day for potatoes, beans, or a small pot of caldo. That smoky pimentón flavor is too good to pour away.
Advance Preparation
- •The androlla can be simmered one day ahead, cooled in its broth, and reheated very gently before adding fresh potatoes and greens.
- •Wash and trim the grelos up to a day ahead. Keep them wrapped in a damp cloth in the refrigerator.
- •Leftovers keep 3 days covered in the refrigerator. Reheat slices in a little broth over low heat so the casing and meat do not dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 700g)
Calories
1225 calories
Total Fat
78 g
Saturated Fat
26 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
50 g
Cholesterol
200 mg
Sodium
3700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
75 g
Dietary Fiber
13 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
56 g
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