Fabada, or fabada asturiana, is a rich, warming stew of beans and sausages that originated in the Asturia region on the northwest coast of Spain. Asturians enjoy it as a hearty midday meal.
The essential ingredients are fabas, a type of large white bean, and two types of sausage — Spanish chorizo and morcillo, a blood sausage. Fabada is traditionally served with cornbread and sidra, a local hard apple cider.
Fabada Asturiana
Cuisine: SpainFabada, or fabada asturiana, is a rich, warming stew of beans and sausages that originated in the Asturia region on the northwest coast of Spain. Asturians enjoy it as a hearty midday meal.
Ingredients
Dried fabas or cannellini beans, soaked overnight — 2 cups
Onions, chopped — 2
Salt pork – 1 1/4-pound piece
Garlic, chopped — 3 to 4 cloves
Water — to cover the beans
Serrano ham or prosciutto — 1/2 pound piece
Spanish chorizo, or other garlic sausages — 1/2 pound
Morcilla, or other blood sausages — 1/2 pound
Paprika (optional) — 1 tablespoon
Saffron (optional) — a few threads
Salt and pepper — to season
Directions
- Add the soaked beans (there should be about 4 cups), onions, salt pork and garlic to a large pot and add cool water to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
- Add the serrano ham or prosciutto to the beans and simmer for another hour, or until the beans are just starting to get tender.
- Prick the sausages all over with a toothpick and add the sausages, paprika and saffron to the beans. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the meats from the pot and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return to the pot, heat through and serve with cornbread or crusty bread and sparkling hard cider.
Fabada Asturiana Notes and Variations
- If you don’t have the exact meats called for, other pork cuts can be substituted: cured pork shoulder, pork belly, country smoked ham, smoked ham hocks, thick-sliced bacon, Italian sausages. You can also substitute Mexican chorizo, but the taste will be different.
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