The dish of Ibiza celebrations
If bullit de peix (fish stew) represents the sea of Ibiza, sofrit pagès represents its countryside. This hearty stew of varied meats was the star dish at matances (traditional winter slaughtering days), when families would butcher pigs and prepare cured meats for the entire year.
It was also served at weddings, baptisms, and patron saint festivals. In my family, there's no Christmas or celebration worth its salt without a good sofrit pagès steaming in the center of the table.
Ingredients from the Ibizan countryside
Sofrit pagès is a generous dish that features various meats and fresh Ibizan cured meats. Everything is cooked with potatoes, which absorb the meat juices and become the most flavorful part of the dish.
- Free-range chicken: cut into pieces with bone, provides clean and savory broth
- Lamb: cut into chunks, gives depth and character
- Pork ribs: the fatty and juicy touch of the whole
- Ibizan sobrasada: melts into the stew and tints it red
- Butifarrón: blood sausage with pine nuts and spices, unique flavor
- Longaniza: adds final spicy notes
Each family has their own version. Some add seasonal mushrooms, especially esclatasangs (wild mushrooms) that grow in pine groves after autumn rains. Others include artichokes or broad beans in spring.
My grandmother always said: "Sofrit pagès must be cooked over very low heat, without rushing, letting the meats soften and the flavors blend together." And she was absolutely right: patience is the secret ingredient.
The recipe step by step
Preparation (the night before)
Season the chopped chicken and lamb chunks with salt, pepper, and a few bay leaves. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator, covered.
The sofrito and cooking
The next day, start with the sofrito: in a large earthenware greixonera (Ibizan cooking pot) heat a good splash of olive oil and brown whole unpeeled garlic cloves until well toasted. Remove and set aside.
In that same oil, brown the meats in batches: first the lamb, which needs more time, then the chicken and finally the pork ribs. Brown them well on all sides so they release their juices and take on color.
Once all the meats are browned, return them to the pot along with the garlic, add grated tomato, paprika, saffron, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Cover with water and simmer over low heat for about an hour.
The finishing touch
When the meats are tender, add potatoes cut into large chunks and the cured meats: sobrasada in thick slices, butifarrón cut into pieces and longaniza. Let everything cook together until the potatoes are done and the broth has reduced and thickened.
The result should be a glossy stew, with meats that fall apart, potatoes impregnated with broth and cured meats that provide that characteristic fatty and spiced point.
Where to try it
At Can Caus, an agricultural estate converted into a restaurant in Santa Gertrudis, they prepare a spectacular sofrit pagès with products from their own farm. At the restaurant Es Rebost de Can Prats, in Sant Antoni, they also make it in a very traditional way.
And at the patron saint festivals of villages across the island, especially in winter, local associations often prepare sofrit pagès for the whole village. That is, without doubt, the most authentic way to try it: in community, outdoors, with music and good company.
Practical information
- Best season: October to April (winter dish by tradition)
- Average price: between 18 € and 28 € per serving in a restaurant
- Reservation: recommended, as not all restaurants have it daily
- Ideal starter: payesa salad (Ibizan salad) and flaó (traditional pastry) for dessert
- Recommended wine: a full-bodied Ibizan red wine, from Can Rich or Sa Cova