Madrid chickpea and meat stew (Cocido madrileño)

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in lukewarm, lightly salted water. In a large pot bring about 4 litres of water to the boil, add the beef shin, chicken legs, pork belly and ham bone and simmer gently, skimming off the foam.

2. When the water boils again, put the drained chickpeas in a net or muslin bag, lower them into the pot and simmer the whole lot gently for 2.5 hours.

3. Add the peeled whole potatoes and the carrots for the last 40 minutes; meanwhile simmer the chorizo and black pudding in a little water in a separate pan for 20 minutes (so they don't colour the broth).

4. Cut the cabbage into strips, boil it in salted water for 15 minutes, drain and fry it in the olive oil with the sliced garlic for 3-4 minutes.

5. Strain the broth into another pan, bring it to the boil and cook the vermicelli in it for 4-5 minutes – this is the first "vuelco", the soup.

6. Then serve the chickpeas and vegetables as the second course and the sliced meats as the third.

Tip: Leftovers become "ropa vieja" the next day: the meats and chickpeas are fried in a pan with crushed garlic and tomato.