Escaldums, the recipe for Christmas in Mallorca.
Mallorcan products shop, is the description of Sa Madona de Ca’n Xinet although I would like you not to stay with just that, since my intention is to continue with my traditions, with my culture, my language, my land, Majorca, and give the value they deserve to the artisanal products of Mallorca.
That why apart from Majorcan products packs I prepare recipes as escaldums, so that you can get the feeling of living on the island without being on it, or remember your grandmother’s stews, the smells from when we were little and be able to say with pride: I am Mallorcan!
The first thing you should know is that the most important thing about this recipe is patience, yes yes… neither cook well, nor know chemistry and physics, just patience and affection.
It is a very old recipe that has been cooked generation after generation in almost every house in Mallorca, with some variations, such as the type of bird, meatballs or cooking with an ensaimada on top, each house a world and each kitchen A universe.
How to cook Escaldums?
The ingredients are very simple and if they are local much better than we are here to promote local Mallorcan products.
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken cut into eighths
- half a kilo of minced pork, or mixed.
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tomato
- 1 can of natural almonds
- Parsley
- Black pepper
- Tap de cortí pepper
- Virgin olive oil
- Salt
- 4 patatoes
- A glass of dry sherry wine
- Bird broth
- 1 egg
- Flour to coat the meatballs
As in all recipes, if we leave the ingredients ready before starting much better, in this case the butcher can help us with the chicken, we need it to be cut into eighths so that they are comfortable and portion slices, season with salt and pepper and reserve.
We will prepare the farce of the meatballs, in a bowl we will place the minced meat, a crushed garlic clove, half a very finely chopped onion, the egg, salt to taste, a pinch of ground black pepper, half a teaspoon of Tap de cortí and some leaves of chopped parsley, mix. You simply have to form meatballs the size of a foosball ball, and pass through flour, fry in abundant oil and reserve on a plate with paper to absorb excess oil.
Chop the rest of the onion and tomato.
And we crush the almonds in a mortar.
In a greixonera pan we reserve part of the oil from the meatballs and seal the chicken on both sides, so that it is well browned, remove and in that oil we fry the onion with the tomato over low heat until it is well confit.
Add the meat, a small glass of dry sherry, let it reduce and add the meatballs.
Cover with the broth, let it cook for about 15 minutes and add the crushed almonds, the secret is the chup chup, which you cook patiently for another 20 minutes, carefully as the almonds tend to stick, correct the salt and fry some cut potatoes to edges or patató and we add them the last 5 minutes of cooking the stew.
And now the Sa Madona trick, cook it the day before and you will see how the aromas and flavors are enhanced.
These escaldums will be the last recipe of the year and I want to thank you for your love by promising more recipes for next year and following the traditions of Mallorca with love and heart.
Let’s toast!! I wish you the best, a hug from the island of calm.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
See you on Instagram!
