Ingredients For 4 people: 4 l. water 1/2 kg beef bones (preferably, shank or tenderloin bone) 1/2 chicken ear, pig's snout and/or pig's trotter, 1 ham bone, 4 desalted spine bones 4 lamb shanks 1 ball of fat 200 g. chickpeas 4 potatoes 2 onions 1 turnip 1 leek 4 carrots 1/4 of winter cabbage 250 g. thin black sausage 200 g. minced lean pork 1 egg 2 cloves of garlic 1 sprig of parsley 1 slice of white bread flour large pasta shells salt Necessary tools: Pot, wooden spoon, colander Preparation time: 180 minutes Difficulty: Medium About the stew As with many traditional dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation, you will find many variations of the recipe. It is one of the best-known gastronomic offerings in Catalan cuisine and also stands out for the variety and richness of the ingredients, with a high calorie content, ideal for the winter months. The recipe also changes between the regions of Catalonia. We suggest how to make escudella the homemade way, although you can always add your personal touch. Instructions Soak the chickpeas to soften them the day before making the stew. Before you start cooking, you will also need to wash the beef bones, chicken, and pork. Put all this meat, with the chickpeas and the ball of fat, in a pot and fill it with cold water. Let it cook for a couple of hours on medium heat and remove the foam once it starts to boil. You can put different bones and meat in your stew. For example, you can also use lamb, as all of this will later be used for the carn d’olla. Take advantage of the cooking time to make the meat ball. You will need minced lean meat, chopped garlic and parsley, an egg, soaked breadcrumbs and a little salt. With all this mixture, form large balls and roll them in flour. When the stew has boiled for a couple of hours, add the meatball, the clean and chopped vegetables and the black sausage. Leave it on the boil for a while longer, until it is all cooked. Then, separate the stewed meat and vegetables and also remove the meatball. All that remains is to remove the fat and pour the pasta shells into the broth. Inside the pasta, you can add a little of the mixture used to make the ball. When they are cooked, you can serve your escudella. Presentation and recommended dressings It is presented in a soup bowl, with the broth, the pasta and, if you want, some meatballs. Accompany it with a large tray with the meat, chickpeas and some vegetables that you have boiled to prepare the stew, so that everyone can take what they like best. Everything is ready to sit at the table and enjoy the flavour and aroma of the most traditional cuisine. Other related recipes Festival Cannelloni Garlic soup Aranese stew