AuthorBen WatsonCategoryAutumn, Beef, Chicken and poultry, Dinner, Pork, Sausage, WinterTapas come in many guises, from simple tortilla to London-centric ‘picture on a plate’ restaurant creations but often in Spain, and also Chez Ben’s, they can just be a ladle of whatever is in the pot at the time. Spain has an abundance of bean stews and Fabada Asturiana is, without question, the best known – almost the paella of the north. It's as simple as they come but totally dependent on the quality of the meat ingredients. It's almost a religion and the packs of, ready to go, belly pork, morcilla and chorizo are available in every food shop (including Ben's Farm Shop). Complete authenticity requires fabes de la granja (large dried runner beans) and a lightly smoked, semi cured morcilla (black pudding), chorizo and thick slices of salted belly pork. In damp Asturia, they smoke all their preserved meats in the chimney. The morcilla is the only one that keeps it’s form when cooked so definitely isn't interchangeable. The real deal beans are expensive and hard to find so most people, including me, substitute fava/butter/judion beans. It's important to stir as gently and little as possible to keep the beans intact.
The end result isn't exactly short of flavour but the extremely inauthentic mojo picon adds a little body to what can be a pretty thin broth. As with all these dishes, a slow cooker is ideal.
Soak the beans overnight.
Drain and place in a large casserole with stock, onion, bay leaf, chilli and garlic head. Add cold water to cover and bring to the simmer and cook gently for two hours. Add water if the level drops and skim off any froth.
Add the chorizo and belly pork after an hour.
Add the morcilla and saffron and cook for another 40 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove and discard the garlic, bay leaves and chilli.
Remove the meats, cool and slice into chunks. Return to the pot.
Squeeze out the garlic and mix it back in. You can also take out a ladle of beans, mash up, return to the pot and gently stir in if you want a thicker sauce.
Serve with greens and crusty bread.
Dry cider would be the local’s choice but a robust red such will do. Our Navardia Crianza or Piqueras Old Vine Garnacha would be perfect.