In Andalusia and especially in Seville, there is an amazing snack which I discovered called "Pringá". Essentially it is a slice of bread, sometimes lightly toasted, with a dollop of leftover stew all mixed together. It sounds awful, but it's heavenly!
The soft tender meat is rescued from the pot and with a little love the most amazing mixture is created. As with all homemade cooking recipes, flavours will change from household to household depending on what is added to the stew pot, but a standard recipe involves mixing bacon with chicken, beef, and pork.
The key to this recipe is, of course, that the raw materials are of the best possible quality and that the cooking process is slow and controlled so that no meat is too soggy or dry. You can pretty much make a Pringá from any type of stew, but perhaps it is from the Madrid stew and the Andalusian stew that you get the most meat to play with. If you are creative, you can add some spice to the mix, although it is not something that is done anywhere, cumin or black pepper works really well.
If you find it is very fatty or too strong, just add some pickled gherkin which accompanies it perfectly. So this is what you will need to create a great Pringá.
For the stew you will need the following :
½ medium-sized free-range Chicken (approx. 1,25kg of meat)
1 piece of brisket (about 200g)
1 thick piece of pancetta
1 thick piece of bacon Iberico
1 chunk of serrano ham off the bone.
1 bone of serrano ham
1 piece of bone marrow
1 Blanquet sausage
1 Onion Morcilla sausage
100 grams of pork fat - "tocino "
300 grams of chickpeas (soaked in water overnight)
Saffron
Vegetables:
1 stick of Celery, 1 stick of Cardoon, 1 sweet potato, 1 white turnip, 1 yellow turnip, 1 parsnip, 3 potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 leek, 5 runner beans and ¼ cabbage.
As far as the vegetables go, you can chuck in whatever you have at hand.
So, to make the stew it is as easy as cleaning and peeling the vegetables and placing them all in the pot with the meat, except for the carrots, potatoes, runner beans and the morcilla. These need to be held back for later as they cook more quickly. Cover with water and slowly bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low heat and let it simmer for 2 hours. Remember to skim off the foam that rises to the top. After 2 hours pop in the rest of the ingredients that were held back and then simmer for further 90 minutes. Once ready, separate all the meat from the stock and let it cool to one side.
While the cooked meats and pork fat are still warm or hot, shred the chicken, pancetta, bacon, beef and serrano ham and the "tocino" with the help of a fork or chopping it up a little with a knife, until you get a mashed-up mixture of frayed meats. Add a little broth until the desired texture is achieved, it should not be too wet or too dry but it needs to have a thick consistency that is spreadable.
Taste and rectify with salt if necessary, now would be the time to add the spices, if you want.
Cut a slice of bread and toast it slightly. In Andalucia, a soft roll is also used - called a "mollete" - to make a sandwich. Whichever way you decide, add the gooey mush and spread it well then heat everything up, under the grill for about 2 minutes and serve immediately.
Enjoy!