Madrid Chickpea Stew (Cocido Madrileño)

The night before, put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl, cover generously with cold water and add a small pinch of salt. Let them soak for at least 8 hours or overnight; this softens the skins so they cook evenly instead of staying hard in the centre.

• 400 g dried chickpeas

✅ Done when: the chickpeas have roughly doubled in size and the skins look smooth and taut, not wrinkled

Drain the chickpeas; if you like, tie them loosely in a square of muslin or a fine net bag so they're easy to lift out later. Put them in a large heavy pot with the ham bone, marrow bone, beef shank, chicken and salt pork, and cover with about 3 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the grey foam that rises for the first few minutes, then lower the heat so the broth just barely bubbles, around 90°C (194°F) rather than a hard boil; this keeps the broth clear and the meat tender instead of tough and stringy.

• 400 g chickpeas (from step 1)
• 1 piece ham bone
• 1 marrow bone
• 400 g beef shank
• 4 chicken thighs
• 150 g salt pork

✅ Done when: the beef is almost tender when pierced with a fork and the broth is pale golden and clear