Fabada Asturiana is a traditional bean stew made with white beans, called fabes, which are grown in the region of Asturias in northern Spain. In addition to beans, this hearty stew contains chorizo (sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), and pork. Fabada is unofficially considered the national dish of Asturias, and is served in restaurants and homes throughout the region.
The secret to a good fabada is using the fabes from the region, so try to find them in your gourmet store or purchase them online, as they are the star ingredient in this dish.
Also important to the dish is to find the best chorizo and morcilla you can, preferably ones that are from Asturias, or at least Spain.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 500 grams (about 1pound) of Fabes Asturianas
- 2-4 links of Spanish chorizo
- 2 links of Spanish morcilla (blood sausage)
- 8 oz. of slab bacon, pork belly or pancetta (in one piece)
- 1 ham bone
- 1 whole medium onion (peeled)
- 2 whole garlic cloves (peeled)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of Spanish smoked sweet paprika
- 2-3 saffron threads
- 8-10 cups of cold water
- Salt to taste
1 day in advance
The fabes must be soaked overnight in order to soften them. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with a generous amount of cold water for at least 12 hours. The beans will swell and double in size, so use a large enough bowl.
Cooking instructions
When the beans have finished soaking, discard the water and place the beans in a large stock pot, along with the chorizo, morcilla, pork, and ham bone. Puncture the chorizo and morcilla a few times before adding them to the pot. Add about 8 cups of cold water to the pot, or enough to cover all the ingredients by about 1 inch. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lift the cover and skim the froth from the top 3-4 times over the next 10-15 minutes.
After you have finished skimming the froth, add the whole onion, garlic cloves, olive oil, and paprika to the pot. Soak the threads of saffron in a small bowl with some of the boiling water from the pot, and then add it to the pot. With the ingredients boiling, add a cup of cold water to the pot. This is called “asustar las fabes”, which literally means to “scare the beans”. It breaks the boil and helps keep the beans from breaking up. Do not stir the stew at all, as the beans are quite delicate. You can gently rotate or shake the pot instead.
Place the lid on the pot, lower the heat and simmer the ingredients for about 2 – 2½ hours, or until the beans are tender. After the pot has been boiling for about 30 minutes, add another cup of cold water to “scare the beans” once again, and ensure that there is enough water in the stew.
Once the beans are tender, the stew is done. Check to see if any salt is needed (the sausage and pork are salty) and add salt to taste. If the stew is a bit watery or you prefer a thicker consistency, you can pull a cup of the cooked beans, puree them in a blender, and then add them back to the pot. Fabada is one of those dishes that is almost better the day after it is cooked, so you can make it a day in advance and just reheat it when you are ready to serve it.
The traditional way to serve fabada is to serve the beans in individual casserole dishes, with the meat and sausage (called the compango) served in a separate bowl. Remove the compango from the pot, cut it into bite size pieces and place it in the center of the table. Serve the fabada with a nice crusty bread. Buen Provecho!
Photo credit: © Christopher Pappas • All rights reserved.
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