In each season, we feel like enjoying different dishes, and now that the cold weather comes and temperatures drop, in Andalucia we like dishes that warm us up. Spoon dishes are the stars of the Andalucian tables, although other traditional recipes from our land mark the arrival of autumn and winter, and we can’t wait to try them during this time of year.
Stews, soups, casseroles, or Andalucian stew are some of the typical dishes of southern Spain’s gastronomy. These Andalucian winter recipes have been passed down from generation to generation and are part of our tradition. Although nowadays there are more elaborate versions by our cooks and chefs, they still retain the same base: potatoes, legumes, or meats are some of the ingredients used to prepare them.
Although we favor spoon dishes to combat the low temperatures, enjoying some good migas is one of the most typical and delicious aspects of Andalucian cuisine during the cold season. And who hasn’t felt like having some roasted chestnuts, with their aroma filling the streets of our towns and cities, reminding us that winter is already here?
The variety of traditional Andalucian dishes and products we can enjoy in winter are of great quality and tradition, marking the identity of Andalucian cuisine during this season. That’s why we present a wonderful selection of recipes and typical dishes from our land, so you can warm up in a very delicious way.
History of Andalucian soups and stew dishes
The soups and stew dishes of Andalucia originate from rural traditions and the use of local, accessible ingredients like legumes, vegetables, and pork products. These recipes provided nourishing and comforting meals during cold winters in rural areas. Many dishes, such as potaje and puchero, have roots in Arab and Mediterranean cuisine, which have adapted over time to meet local needs, emphasizing the use of olive oil and typical regional spices.
Winter Andalucian recipes
1. Puchero (Casserole)
This is the winter dish par excellence in Southern Spain. The “puchero” is made from chickpeas as the base ingredient; depending of the Andalucian region, it takes more or less soup. In Malaga, it is more diluted, and a handful of rice is usually added. In Huelva, it is cooked with plenty of vegetables. In Cadiz, pork is combined with veal, and in Granada, it takes a lot of bacon. Meat, vegetables and legumes are mixed with salty bones to prepare this typical dish that will not leave you indifferent. Apart from exquisite, this casserole is versatile, because if you have any leftovers on the following day, you can take the chickpeas, smash them and fry them, and then prepare what is known as “ropa vieja”, a well-known typical dish of the Spanish postwar era.
2. Gazpachuelo
Gazpachuelo is a hot soup original from Malaga, and for many years it has been a main course for fishermen in winter. It is a fish soup with a mayonnaise garnish based on garlic, egg yolk and olive oil. It is customary to dip one’s bread in it, and, when served really hot, it can help you keep your body temperature throughout the entire day. If you come to Costa del Sol and decide to have a fish/seafood-based menu, this recipe could be your first option.
3. Lentils
Although they are famous all throughout Spain, in Andalucia they are cooked very often and in a special way, having become a typical dish in Southern restaurants. The good Andalucian cured pork sausages like the “chorizo” and “morcilla” have been included in large amounts as another ingredient to this dish. The secret to prepare tasty lentils is to simmer them over low heat, even better when done on a charcoal fire. If you are coming to the South, do not miss them!
4. Bean Soup
Beans are very popular in Spain, particularly in Asturias, where we can find the famous “fabada” (bean stew with Spanish sausage). But the taste of beans in Andalucia is different than in the rest of the country. Here we cook the popular “bean soup”, a winter dish par excellence to warm us up. In Malaga, it is customary to make it with pinto beans. A famous attraction are the roadside stands of Ojén, Alhaurín de la Torre and Mijas, where you can taste the most traditional and home-made flavors.
5. Stewed Potatoes
Stewed potatoes or the “guisaillo de papas”, as Andalucians call it, is another example of winter gastronomy. It is usually prepared with veal, and it takes a fair amount of sweet paprika and ground black pepper. Potatoes are very efficient at retaining heat, so this dish is ideal if we’re down with the flu. If you ever get chilled, do not hesitate to try this recipe, as it helps you relieve congestion.
6. Picadillo Soup
This is a typical Andalucian soup, specially widespread in the areas of Almería and Seville. It is prepared with poultry meat, usually chicken, finely chopped together with a hard-boiled egg. It also takes thin and small ham chunks. Apart from being the ideal dinner for cold nights, it is a customary dish served in Christmas-Eve and Christmas as a starter, before turkey.
7. Rice with Broth
If you are travelling to Andalucia, do not miss the rice with broth. This typical dish is commonly resorted to in cold days, and is prepared in a very similar way as the Valencian “paella”. We make a fried sauce with chicken, pepper, onion, garlic and tomato, and then add the rice with three times its volume of water. This provides a more loose appearance, producing a broth which can then be prepared with noodles. An unbeatable plan for rest days: a good meal and a good nap.
8. Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is very popular in Andalucia, and several recipes are derived from it. It is usually served in a clay cup to preserve heat, and if you want you can add thin soup noodles. But this is not all: on the following day, with the meat used for this dish we can prepare the famous home-made croquettes. This is an ancestral culinary tradition passed on by the Arabian people of Al Andalus, and which you cannot miss if you are touring the South.
9. Noodle Casserole
The seafaring tradition present in a large part of Andalucia has resulted in many recipes with seafood as the main ingredient. That is the case with the noodle casserole, one of the most ordered dishes in restaurants and inns at this time of year. Malaga capital provides very good examples of this tasty delicatessen, and the areas of El Palo, Cadiz and Huelva are also exponents of this culinary trend, where small prawns are combined with thick noodles. Write down this recipe and prepare your spoon to enjoy its delicious flavor.
10. Arranque caliente (Hot Starter)
This dish is typical from Rota and the province of Cadiz in general, being closely linked to peasants. It is a sort of hot gazpacho, originating from the poorer neighbors, who used it to warm up before a heavy day of work. Nowadays you can taste it in restaurants and inns; its tomato base makes it rich in properties and vitamins.
11. Potaje de vigilia
There are several versions of so-called potaje de vigilia. The ingredient that cannot be left out in all the recipes for this broth is the chick pea, and the one that will never appear is any kind of meat. It is the ideal broth for days when you need to abstain from eating meat in accordance with the precepts of the Church. The most traditional recipe for what is also called potaje de cuaresma has chick peas, chard or spinach, cod and boiled egg. In some cases, a few slices of toasted bread or croutons are also added.
12. Potaje de tagarninas
This is another of Andalucia’s lent dishes. A traditional recipe from the Cádiz municipality of Algodonales and that we can enjoy in many restaurants in Cádiz province. The two basic ingredients of this broth are chick peas and oyster plants. It also includes black pudding, cumin, cloves, beans, potatoes, paprika and bread. Oyster plants are also known as golden thistle.
13. Berza jerezana
This is another of the traditional vegetable broths of Andalucian cuisine. Berza Jerezana is one of the most famous versions. It can be prepared with oyster plant collards or with chard fronds. In any case, the most abundant ingredients in this Andalucian stew are pulses and meat. Beans, chick peas, veal, pork, fresh bacon, black pudding and chorizo. An ideal dish to ward off the cold.
14. Tripe
Tripe is another of Andalucia’s winter recipes. Callos a la madrileña (tripe cooked with chilis) is the most famous, but in Andalucia, we can find versions of the tripe recipe in almost every one of its eight provinces. The ingredient that makes the difference in this Andalucian recipe is chick peas, which are not present in callos a la madrileño.
15. Sopas perotas
This is a traditional dish from the Malagan municipality of Álora. It even has its own festival day: Day of the Sopas Perotas that is celebrated in early October. Like other Andalucian recipes, it came about in the field, at the hand of day labourers. They used all the ingredients they had within reach. Stale bread, tomato, onion, garlic, pepper, potato, asparagus, oil and salt. They accompanied it with seasonal fruits such as orange or grape, and in some cases with cucumber, too.
16. Olla gitana
This stew is a traditional dish in the eastern region of Andalusia. It is a vegetable stew in whose preparation the pear plays an important role. This dish arose due to the fact that eastern Andalusia enjoys abundant orchards and produces a lot of green beans, tomatoes, courgettes and other vegetables.
17. Olla de San Antonio
Olla de San Antonio, olla de trigo con hinojo or sometimes only olla de trigo, is a very famous stew eaten in Almería province. Its preparation involves the use of wheat. Chickpeas and different meats, all aromatised with wild fennel. This soup is a winter dish and must be served very hot. Its name comes from the fact that while it is eaten throughout winter, it is tradition to eat it on San Antonio Abad Day (17th January).
18. Potaje de hinojo
Potaje de hinojo
The pout of hyneles of Graná, is a luxury for the senses, this stew is the Essence of Alpujarreña served in a dish, it is the aroma of the mountain and the taste of the recipes always. Unfortunately it is a practically unknown production in the rest of Spain, mainly because its elaboration involves the use of an ingredient such as fresh fennel shoots, a product that is practically not marketed outside the province of Granada.
19. Catshark broth
Catshark broth is a tasty spicy soup that is characteristically eaten in Malagan taverns and bars. The catshark is a small halibut that is traditionally used to prepare seafood stews, one of the most traditional delicacies of the whole of Malaga.
20. Emblanco o matamaríos
This fish soup is known as emblanco or matamaríos, depending on where we are, and it is a typical Andalusian recipe for the cold weather.
It is a spoon dish made with hake, tomato, pepper, onion, oil, water, and potatoes, although you can also add carrots. These are basic and light ingredients that, while ideal for making this fish soup for winter days, were not enough for the husbands who used to come home from work and had to eat this dish, often still feeling hungry. This is where one of its most curious names, matamaríos (husband killer), comes from.
Your spoon is the main protagonist in all these recipes to relieve the feared winter cold. If you are touring around Andalucia, do not hesitate to try out these dishes: they will warm you up in an exquisite way. Soups, casseroles and broths for you to experience the most genuine Andalucian cuisine.
More dishes
Patatas a lo pobre
It is one of the most well-known, simple, and delicious recipes in Spanish cuisine. However, this dish originated in Andalusia, and its name, patatas a lo pobre (poor man’s potatoes), comes from the time of famine that our region suffered. The Andalusians of that time did not have enough resources to make elaborate dishes and cooked with the cheapest ingredients they could find in their kitchens. This is how patatas a lo pobre came about. It’s a perfect recipe for cold weather, made with potatoes, onions, and olive oil. These are the basic ingredients, but over the years, variations have emerged. Some people add eggs, garlic, and/or fried peppers, creating different versions of this simple yet delicious dish.
Andalusian Migas
Migas is one of the best dishes to combat the cold in Andalusia, especially in inland areas with lower temperatures. This dish from the Andalusian winter recipe collection is one of the most delicious and will certainly warm you up.
There are different ways to prepare this dish, as some people make it with bread and others with semolina. In any case, Andalusian migas are delicious, and although it is a dish that requires more time, it is simple to prepare. You can use bread with a lot of crumbs that have been sitting for a few days, as they need to be a bit hard, and cut it into small cubes. Once you have that, fry some garlic in olive oil in a pan. When the garlic turns golden, add the meat. There’s something for everyone here, from chorizo, bacon, chistorra, to blood sausage. Some even use different types of meat. Once all the meat is cooked and has released its juices, add salt and water, then put in the bread you had cut earlier. It needs to soak in the liquid, and you will begin stirring continuously until the liquid is absorbed and the migas become crispy and golden.
Roasted Chestnuts
The smell of roasted chestnuts announces the arrival of cold weather. This fruit, so wintry and so much ours, has a very traditional and simple way of being prepared. Taking the chestnuts and roasting them with a little salt in a pot or pan around the fire or in the fireplace is one of the typical ways to do it and is still practiced in some towns or cities. Who hasn’t seen a roasted chestnut stand while walking through the streets this time of year?
It is very common to see still this traditional and delicious way of enjoying chestnuts to warm up. While some people at home use the oven or even the microwave to roast them, it remains a very popular tradition with an incomparable flavor when done the way it has always been done.
Curiosities about Andalusian soups and stew dishes
- Seasonal cooking: Most soups and stew dishes are prepared with seasonal ingredients, reflecting the sustainable practices of the past. Vegetables like chard and spinach were selected according to the season, particularly in winter.
- Leftover recipes: Dishes like puchero andaluz are notable for utilizing leftovers. The leftover broth became soup, while the meat was turned into croquettes or ropa vieja, showcasing creativity in avoiding food waste.
- Arab influence: Many soups and stew dishes have Arab influences, such as the use of chickpeas and spices. Andalucian gastronomy evolved during the andalusí period, introducing techniques like stewing in cauldrons.
- Variety of legumes: Legumes like chickpeas and lentils are fundamental to these dishes and symbolize the tradition of wholesome, comforting meals, ideal for winter.
- Regional Diversity: Each Andalucian province has its own version of puchero, ranging from simple to more elaborate ones with meat and sausages, reflecting the cultural richness of the region.
- Hot and Cold Soups: Unlike the famous cold soups such as gazpacho, hot soups like sopa de picadillo are popular in winter, using leftovers from the pig slaughter along with seasonal vegetables.
We offer you the 12 most refreshing recipes of Andalucia
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Fuerte Grazalema
If you wish to discover Andalucía, don’t hesitate to stay at the best hotels. Without a doubt, the best option is Fuerte Group Hotels. The chain has facilities where, apart from the regular services, you can enjoy the best of each spot in the Andalucian geography. Its over 60 years’ experience is the best warranty so you can devote your time to discovering these unusual corners. Marbella, Conil, Grazalema, El Rompido or Torrox are some of the places where you can find amazing accommodation facilities near the spots we have recommended for you.