Cocido Gallego

Cocido Gallego belongs to Galicia, and Galicia makes it with grelos, cachelos, garbanzos, and the cured pork of the matanza, the household pig slaughter. This is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, but it comes to the table in abundance: chickpeas, greens, potatoes, chorizo, lacón, ribs, belly, each one tasting of the same pot. No sofrito here. No browning. The broth is built from cured pork, water, and time.

The step that decides it is not glamorous: desalt the pork properly. If the lacón and ribs go into the pot too salty, no clever hand can fix the broth later. Soak them a full day, changing the water, then cook them slowly before the chickpeas and vegetables join. The chickpeas need a steady simmer in already hot broth; shock them with cold water and they sulk. Nadie nace sabiendo, but this one is kind if you follow the order.

If you are far from Galicia, no hace falta haber pisado España. Use turnip greens first in place of grelos, broccoli rabe at a pinch, or collards if that is what your market gives you. Collards need longer and taste rounder, less bitter. If lacón salado is impossible, use a meaty smoked ham hock with a piece of fresh pork shoulder, and know what changes: the broth will taste smokier and less cleanly cured. Keep the chorizo cured and Spanish if you can. Fresh raw chorizo melts into grease and gives you another dish.

Serve the broth first if you like, then the chickpeas, potatoes, greens, and sliced meats on big platters. My Margin for this one says only: "no sal hasta el final," no salt until the end. The pork has already spoken. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.