Cocido madrileño at Daniela’s
Finally, the autumn nip is in the air, leading me to decide that it would be a good time to organize a family meal of cocido madrileño, the cold weather dish par excellence. I had heard that Taberna de la Daniela was one of the best places specializing in cocido.
As it turns out, there are three Danielas, all very strategically located: the first, and I think the original one, in the barrio de Salamanca, the renowned shopping district; another down in the Huertas neighborhood, near Plaza de Neptuno, where the museum mile is located, and the third near the soccer (or football) stadium, Santiago de Bernabeu. I tried to make a reservation at the first location, to discover that on a Saturday the tables were all booked until 4 p.m., maybe a good time to think about dinner but certainly not to start lunch! In the end, I made the reservation for six at the restaurant near the stadium.
The neighborhood is rather stately, between Paseo de la Habana and Paseo de la Castellana, nice for walking and shopping on a warmer afternoon. The restaurant is definitely designed to look like an old Madrid taberna, with colorful tiles, aged bullfighting posters and mirrors on the walls, the list of tapas handwritten on white tile, and simple wooden tables and chairs. There is a terrace outside for warmer weather. By the time we had been there an hour, the restaurant was packed, upstairs and at street level. Although they have a nice selection of tapas that you can eat at the bar at the entrance, or as a meal at a table, this lunchtime, at almost every table, you could see families digging into their cocido. When I had called to make the reservation, it was made clear to me that they had two turnovers to choose from–the 2 - 3:30 p.m. session, or from 3:30 p.m. on. I chose the former. And, true to their word, by the time it was 3:25 p.m. and we wanted to order our coffee, we were gently reminded that the next turno was beginning.
In the meantime, we had thoroughly enjoyed the rich, filling meal. No first courses, no 
tapas–when you book the table saying you want cocido, the dish is all you need to eat. I definitely suggest washing it back with a red wine. The list at Daniela’s won’t impress, the wines from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, La Mancha and Penedés, are your classic staple wines–Cune, Remelluri, Protos–good enough to allow you to savor the dish and digest it more easily. The cocido madrileño is made up of three dishes or vuelcos: first the caldo con fideos (broth with small pasta bits) is served to you, the full terrine left in the center of the table in case you want to serve yourself seconds or thirds; then you can either keep your bowl with its leftover broth for the next two dishes, or use the clean plate underneath. These are the crowning dishes of the cocido: two brimming plates, one of chickpeas, potatoes, carrots and cabbage, the other (called the pringá) with pork bone and fat, chicken, chorizo, morcilla, or blood sausage, all of which have been boiled gently together for hours, a fuego lento, to make the broth. As one article points out, 
some Madrileños add a pelota, meatballs made of ground pork or beef, or of bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, and egg. This is the case at Daniela’s. They are slipped into the pot toward the end of cooking and served up on the plate with the vegetables and legumes. Also laid out on the table, to add flavor to your meal, are dishes with onions and olives, and two romescú-style sauces, one with cumin in it.
We were naive enough to order the dish for six, when an order for four would have sufficed–the rest we had packaged for us and carried it home. One full serving of a combination of these ingredients, delicious as it is, fills you up completely. What I most appreciated was the savory broth flavor in the vegetables, made rich from the fat and meat and bone marrow seeping into them as they all cooked together. Even hours later, as I write this post, my mouth is watering.
This dish really does seem to carry with it the essence of Madrid, its agricultural roots, with a population made up initially of migrants from the rural provinces, used to making steaming pots of rich dishes to fill them up and keep then warm through harsh winters. It’s truly a warming, family meal.
Oh, I almost forgot! One lovely touch is the cloth napkins which are made like bibs so that you can hang them around your neck. No need to feel shy, as a good many other guests take advantage of this special addition.
Addresses for Taberna de la Daniela
C/ General Pardiñas 21, Madrid -Tel.: 91 575 23 29 (Salamanca)
C/ Gutiérrez Solana 2, Madrid -Tel.: 91 411 58 61 (Santiago de Bernabeu)
C/ Jesús, 7, Madrid - Tel.: 91 389 62 38 (Huertas)
Other restaurants known for their cocido madrileño
Carrera San Jerónimo 8, 28014 Madrid - 91 521 33 85
C/ Bola 5, 28013 Madrid - Tel.: 91 547 69 30
C/ Padilla 54, 28006 Madrid - Tel.: 91 401 94 08
C/ Santa Engracia 161, 28003 Madrid - Tel.: 91 534 46 34
C/ Ruda 5, 28005 Madrid - Tel.: 91 365 52 41
Casa Ciriaco
Mayor, 84, 28013 Madrid
Other articles about cocido madrileño (click on the title):
MadridMan: Taberna La Bola and Cocido Madrileño
Worlds of Flavor Spain: origins of the cocido
Photos by Claudia Benito, and Jesús Encinar and Fernando Encinar, from 11870.com
