Tag Archives: bean stew

Recipe | Fabada Asturiana

Leave a reply

This is another of those traditional Spanish bean stews that are so perfect for keeping you warm on a winter’s day. This one originated in the northern province of Asturias, but is now naturalised throughout Spain and also southern France. The basic ingredient is the large white beans known in Spain as fabes, cooked with pork belly, morcilla (blood sausage) and chorizo, which you can also find pre-packaged as “preparado de fabada” in most supermarkets.

fabada

The result is a really tasty and filling dish that works well as a snack, starter, or main meal.

  • 1 kilo alubias blancas (large white beans)
  • 100 grams each: tocina, chorizo and morcilla
  • 200 grams chopped bacon (optional)
  • 2 tsp pimentón piquante (hot smoked paprika)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • salt to taste (I used about 3-4 tsp)
  • 6 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 medium onion (diced)

Soak the beans in cold water overnight, then rinse well and place in large stewing pot. Cover with cold water (about an inch or so over), add the tocina, chorizo and morcilla. Add salt, peppercorns and paprika, mix well, then bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, lower heat to a simmer and then start skimming off the sludge that rises to the top. Stir very occasionally, just enough so it doesn’t stick, otherwise the beans will break up. Add more water if required. Cooking time may vary, somewhere between 1-1.5 hours, until the beans are cooked through but still firm.

While the beans are cooking, sautée the onion and garlic until translucent, then add the bacon (if desired) and continue cooking until everything is nicely browned. When the beans are almost done remove the tocina, chorizo and tocina, cut them into small slices and return them to the pot. Then add the cooked onions, garlic and bacon. Give it a quick stir, add a bit more water if you need it, and simmer another 10 minutes.

If you’d like to learn how to make Fabada Asturiana or any other typical Spanish dish then we recommend Travel & Cuisine who will create a custom made cooking experience for you.

And if you are more interested in learning how to shop for yourself like a local so you can make your own fabulous meals in your holiday apartment, check out Azahar Sevilla’s Market & Tapas Tour.

Lentil and Chorizo Stew

5 Replies

With winter on the way and temperatures set to plummet even here in Southern Spain, it’s time to haul out the recipe books and cook up some of those good old-fashioned stick-to-your-ribs winter warmers that your mother used to make.

In Spain, that means cocina de cuchara, or dishes eaten with a spoon, and first and foremost of these are the potajes (the word potage still exists in English), which are bean stews, usually cooked with added meat and vegetables. Cheap, filling, tasty and nutritious (4 out of 4) these stews of lentils, alubias or garbanzos, very common and traditional in Spain, deserve to be much more popular than they are in some northern parts of Europe.

Below is one of our favourite recipes for a lentil and chorizo potage, a variant of a recipe you can find in Janet Mendel’s Cooking in Spain. It’s easy to make, even for novice cooks, and gives a minimum of 4 servings.

1/2 kilo quick cooking brown lentils
2 litres boiling water
400 grams longhaniza rojo sausages (or chorizo)
1 head of garlic cloves, peeled & sliced lengthwise in half
1 large onion, chopped
2 italian green peppers, chopped
100 grams sliced roasted red peppers (from a jar)
2 carrots, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp each of sea salt, black pepper, cumin and pimentón dulce (La Chinata is best)
olive oil

Cook the sausages in a large saucepan, then chop up and put aside, reserving some of the juices from the pan. Sauté the onions, peppers and garlic in a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent. Set aside.

In a large pot add the lentils to boiling salted water and stir well. Then add the carrots, tomatoes, sautéed veg, sausage and spices. Mix well, cover and simmer on low heat for about an hour and a half, stirring frequently. Add the reserved pan juices for extra flavour if desired. Yum!