Fabada Asturiana – Bean Casserole

Recipe-of-week Fabada Asturiana or Asturian Bean and Sausage Casserole is a traditional dish from Asturias in North West Spian. Made with their famouse and much loved  fabes (broad beans), morcillo (black pudding) , ham (jamon) and of course chorizo. Packed with protein for tired muscles and slow release carbs it is a perfect and warming dish to stoke the engine with after a day of cycling in the Picos de Europa and while cycling there last week I lived on the stuff. Cheap and hearty it is perfect hard working food! This recipes serves four hungry cyclists…

1. First you need to soak your fabes in cold water for eight hours. if you are using fresh beans you only need do this for an hour or two.

2. Drain your fabes and put in a large, shallow pot and cover with two inches of fresh water. Cook until they come to the boil making sure to skim any scum that gathers on the surface.


3. Heat your oil in a pan then add it to the pot. Add the saffron too.  Add the bacon and ham, trying to make sure that they go to the bottom, in order not to break the fabes during the cooking process. Leave them to cook for about five minutes with the lid on than skim once again.

4. Now add the chorizo and black pudding.  Boil for another five minutes still skimming any nasty scum that comes to the surface again. 


5. Now all the ingredients are in the pot you can relax.  Over a low heat with the lid on cook for about 2 or 3 hours. Have a glass of tinto and check the pot every now and then to make sure the fabes are covered with water at all times. If the sausage and black pudding poke above the surface it doesn't matter. 

6. Locals in Asturias will top up the pot with cold water, which they claim gives the beans a firmer texture. They will also shake the pot in order to avoid any sticking to the bottom. 


7. Once the beans are tender let the fabada stand for 10 minutes so the stew thickens and then serve garnished with chopped parsley and wash down with plenty of Asturain cider. 


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This entry was posted on Friday, April 17th, 2009 at 10:05 and is filed under Recipe Of The Week, Recipes, Spanish Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed or trackback from your own site. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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