Taking into account the dates in which we find ourselves, and taking advantage of the fact that the cold is still raging in practically the entire country, we bring you a recipe that these days causes furor in the area of the municipality of Lalín and that, although it is still a stew, it has some peculiarities and curiosities that you should not lose sight of.
It is already known that in Spain, luckily, We have a wide variety of cooked, which ranges from the famous Madrid stew to others less popular but just as wonderful: the cocido montañés, the puchero andaluz, the cocido lebaniego, the escudella catalana, etc. And, of course, it goes without saying that each one of them differs from the rest due to the ingredients used, the way they are prepared and the number of turns or their order when serving the different dishes.
Well, what many still do not know is that there is a municipality in Pontevedra that, especially during the Entroido (this year it ends on February 22), pays homage to a recipe that is based on a careful selection of regional ingredients. And precisely up to there we have gone so that Diego López “Moli”, chef of the La Molinera restauranttell us all the secrets of this elaboration that has been elaborated in this house practically in the same way since 1985 and that is an institution in Lalín.
Galician stew or Lalín stew?
The first question that arises is whether these two concepts are synonymous, since we have always heard of the first but the second is practically unknown for the rest of the mortals who do not live or have passed through the area. “The base is the same as that of any other stew, as in the rest of the autonomous communities of Spain. What happens in this case is that there are variations depending on the area”, answers “Moli” almost without thinking. So we have no choice but to go to those details that make this forceful dish so special.
“One of the main differences is that here the pig, in addition to being desalted and cured, is slightly smoked”. We attest that it is something that is already perceived in the first bite and that gives a unique touch to the meats. But there is more: “In the stew of Lalín we use the normal chorizo and the ceboleiro chorizowhich is a kind of black pudding that arises from the use of those parts of the animal that, when opened in the carcass, are marked with blood, in addition to incorporating cuts such as the lung and others that are usually discarded for other preparations”.
We also discovered that it is key, for the final result of the ceboleiro chorizo to be a success, that these parts are used instead of other more noble ones such as lean meat or loin. “That’s where you screw up, because you don’t reach that point of texture and juiciness that is what makes this sausage special,” Diego López clarifies.
Once we have this clear, we go with another of the fundamental aspects of the Lalín stew, since the stew does not only live on pork. And again we will have to differentiate between two essential vegetables for this dish They look the same but are not. “The turnip, when it is due, or the nabiza, which is what comes out of the turnip during the first cycle, can never be missing in the Lalín stew.” After several minutes of chatting with “Moli”, it is clear to us that the peduncle that comes out just before flowering is the turnip top, that Tasty jewel of Galician cuisine that, “if it were to flower (spike) it could be used in Italy or in other countries, but not here.”
Faithful to their recipe since 1985
If something works, why change it. That’s what our guest today must have thought when he took over the controls of La Molinera restaurant back in 2010: “We continue to respect the recipe of a lifetime, although it is true that now the spread is not abused so much anymore and that we try to defat the broths as much as possible. Nor are those gargantuan rations in style anymore, now we prefer value pieces such as the cacheira (mask), which we carve in the room when it is for groups of four or more people”.
It makes it clear to us that do not close to innovation, although they resort to it whenever it is going to contribute to the elaboration. “On occasion I have wondered how I could improve the recipe, we have even resorted to using more current techniques, such as vacuum cooking, but the truth is that we have not found any improvement.”
Regarding the product, Diego comments that they do not work with small animals. “It is very rare for a pig weighing less than 150 kilos to enter our kitchen, and we have come to have pieces of 330 kilos, which is like a small cow (laughs).” And continuing with the pork theme, we discovered that, despite the fact that there is no native breed as such in the area, “the Duroc works very well for cooking because it has a very good fat infiltration pointwe prefer it to Celtic pork, which has a higher fat content, more similar to that of an Iberian”.
Other cooked safety pins from Lalín
By now it has become clear that, as the man who was voted Best Galician Chef in 2014 rightly points out, Lalín stew “is a well-known brand due to the festivities that we celebrate every year around this dish.” It refers to the Feira Do Cocido that this 2023 celebrates its 55th edition and that brings together thousands of faithful at each appointment who enjoy devouring this delicacy in about twenty restaurants among which is, occupying a place of honor, La Molinera.
But, of course, in the area there are more stew temples that it is also good to have located for when we have to organize a getaway to Lalín. Below we leave you the three recommendations for “Moli”, those restaurants that he would visit without a doubt if he did not have his own stew so close at hand.
1. Currás House
This traditional eating house is not only recommended for going to taste its stew, it can also become the best refuge for those who appreciate those abundant portions which are already practically in danger of extinction beyond Galicia and Asturias. It’s one of the most emblematic restaurants in Lalín, which makes it one of the most frequented by locals and foreigners who want to give a good account of their recipes. In other words, do not forget to book if you decide to visit them.
Currás House. Church Square, 2. Lalín. T. 986 78 12 51
2. Cabins
The Cabanas stew, like the project itself, was born in 2001. Made, as tradition dictates, with meat from mother sows -which are cured, smoked and salted- that are accompanied by turnip tops, boiled potatoes, chickpeas and chorizos. It will always be remembered as the restaurant that He took the Lalín stew to places like Madrid, Andorra or even the Spanish Embassy in the Holy See of the Vatican to Pope Benedict XVI. It stands out from the rest due to the touches of innovation and modernity that Álex brings to classic Galician cuisine, through dishes such as “Creamy Joselito croquettes, pil-pil cod and octopus a feira in crispy panko” or “Fat cod loin confit, potato and turnip top”.
cabins. Rúa Pintor Laxeiro, 3. Lalín. T. 986 78 23 17
3. The Arches
Another of the great gastronomic icons of Lalín. Here one comes to be pampered by the staff with the best Galician seafood and high level meats, all conveniently washed down with local wines. But when the time for cooking arrives, this is the dish that takes center stage in the recently reopened restaurant. What better way to celebrate the return of one of the reference restaurants in Lalínnow with the brothers David and Daniel Méndez Martínez, together with Juan Pérez Blanco, in front.
Os Arcos. Rúa Wenceslao Calvo Garra, 4. Lalín. T. 886 44 93 20
Lalín stew at home
Although his thing is that you make a getaway to this wonderful land to see first-hand the benefits of this dish, if possible in the middle of Entroido, we know that there are those who prefer to opt for the most comfortable option. And to those people, who want to enjoy the authentic Lalín stew but without leaving home, we have to give them a piece of news: Petramora takes it wherever you tell them to.
as you hear it You enter their website, select the delivery date (bearing in mind that they only ship on Fridays) and add that date to the cart. formidable La Molinera stew for three people which is at a more than reasonable price (70 euros). Do you want to know what is included? Well, take note: The broth, the noodles, the chickpeas, the meat chorizo and the onion chorizo, the turnip tops, the potatoes, the cacheira and the lacón, a variety of meats (chicken, veal, spine, leg, tail, rib , bacon, tongue) and, for dessert, queixo da Josefa with quince.
Needless to say that everything arrives properly vacuum packed and that the least cooky person in the world would be able to execute each of the necessary steps to take it fully. Basically, you have to open the stock bag and add the contents in a saucepan, when it boils, add the noodles and let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes, and in a separate pot, put the vacuum bags, cover with water and you heat on the fire for 15 minutes from the moment it starts to boil. Finally, you open the vacuum bags and serve all the well-drained ingredients.
Cooked Restaurant La Molinera de Lalín for 3 people
In less than 20 minutes you have ready this elaborate masterpiece that has been prepared by Diego López and that you can eat as you like here. You already know that the rules are always there to be broken. And in the case of the stew, even more. Although, if you want to respect the protocol as much as possible, you should know that “the first thing we serve is the soup with fine noodles, then the chickpeas arrive accompanied by the potato, the meat chorizo, the onion chorizo, we continue with the vegetables, let’s go removing little by little so that it does not cool down and we finish off with the meat parade (cacheira, lacon, offal, chicken and veal)”.
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