Trinxat

Ingredients

• 800 gwinter cabbage (savoy or the flat crinkled col de hivern), cored and shredded
• 700 gfloury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 200 gcansalada viada (streaky cured pork belly) or thick pancetta, in 5 mm slices
• 6garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 tbsppork fat or olive oil
• 1 tspsalt
• black pepper

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes and cabbage together in well-salted water in one pot for 25–30 minutes, until both are completely soft and the cabbage has lost all its squeak.
2. Drain very thoroughly and leave in the colander for 10 minutes to steam dry. Wet trinxat will never brown, it only steams in the pan.
3. Meanwhile fry the pork belly slices in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until the fat has rendered out and the strips are crisp. Lift them out and reserve.
4. Fry the garlic in the rendered fat for 1 minute, until just blond; take it off the heat the moment it smells sweet, as burnt garlic will run right through the dish.
5. Tip the potato and cabbage into the pan and chop and mash them together roughly with the edge of a wooden spoon or a knife. Trinxat means chopped, and the texture should stay coarse, with recognisable strands of cabbage, never a smooth puree.
6. Season well with salt and pepper, then press the mixture into a flat cake filling the pan, about 3 cm deep.
7. Cook over medium heat 10–12 minutes without touching it, until a firm brown crust forms underneath and the edges pull away from the pan.
8. Slide it onto a plate, invert it back into the pan with a little more fat and brown the second side for 8 minutes. Serve in wedges with the crisp pork belly on top and, if you like, a fried egg.

Technique

• The cabbage should be a winter variety that has taken a frost. In the Cerdanya and the Andorran valleys the frost is said to sweeten it, and it genuinely does convert starch to sugar.
• Do not rush the crust. Moving the cake around means you get mashed vegetables rather than trinxat, whose whole appeal is the contrast between the crisp brown face and the soft inside.
• Cook the potato and cabbage in the same water: it seasons the potato and softens the cabbage’s sulphur note.

Substitutions

• No cansalada? Smoked streaky bacon works, though it is sweeter and smokier than the Pyrenean cured belly.
• For a meat-free version, brown the cake in good olive oil and finish with fried garlic and a spoonful of romesco.

Variations

• Trinxat de la Cerdanya, the benchmark version, served with a slice of cured belly and black pudding.
• Trinxat balls, rolled, floured and shallow-fried, sold as a tapa in Andorra la Vella.

History

A dish combining cabbage and potato, mashed together and fried with bacon, developed in Andorra and the surrounding Pyrenean mountain region shared with neighboring Catalonia, reflecting a practical mountain cooking tradition built around cabbage and potato, both crops well suited to the region’s cooler, higher-elevation growing conditions compared to lower Mediterranean coastal areas. Its preparation, mashing boiled cabbage and potato together before frying the mixture until crisp on the outside, reflects a straightforward, hearty approach to mountain cooking using reliably available local ingredients. Trinxat remains one of Andorra’s most traditional and widely eaten dishes, closely tied to the country’s Pyrenean mountain culinary identity shared with neighboring Catalan mountain communities.

Frequently asked questions

What is Trinxat?

Trinxat is a main from Andorra: mashed cabbage and potato griddled with pork belly. A dish combining cabbage and potato, mashed together and fried with bacon, developed in Andorra and the surrounding Pyrenean mountain region shared with neighboring Catalonia, reflecting a practical mountain cooking tradition built around cabbage and potato, both crops well suited to the region’s cooler, higher-elevation growing conditions compared to lower Mediterranean coastal areas. Its preparation, mashing boiled cabbage and potato together before frying the mixture until crisp on the outside, reflects a straightforward, hearty approach to mountain cooking using reliably available local ingredients. Trinxat remains one of Andorra’s most traditional and widely eaten dishes, closely tied to the country’s Pyrenean mountain culinary identity shared with neighboring Catalan mountain communities.

How long does Trinxat take to make?

Trinxat takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Trinxat?

Yes, within limits. No cansalada? Smoked streaky bacon works, though it is sweeter and smokier than the Pyrenean cured belly. For a meat-free version, brown the cake in good olive oil and finish with fried garlic and a spoonful of romesco.

What is the most important thing to get right in Trinxat?

Drain very thoroughly and leave in the colander for 10 minutes to steam dry. Wet trinxat will never brown, it only steams in the pan.