Asturian bean stew in cocotte

I love autumn! I love feeling the cold morning breeze as I leave the house and thinking about how much I missed it. There is another feeling that I also enjoy, and that is those comforting dishes that help keep the cold away.

Without a doubt, the proposal that Carmen, from Yerbabuena en la Cocina , brings us today is one of these dishes: the traditional Asturian fabada is one of the most typical dishes of the country, which you will enjoy eating both on a daily basis and at family meals. So take note - when the cold weather arrives it is time to start heating up the stove for this dish that you will love!

I'm in autumn mode, and although the cold has not yet arrived in any obvious way, how about we prepare for the coming weeks with recipes from our traditional cuisine?

On this occasion, the recipe chosen is fabada, its origins are not known for certain, even though it is the most well-known and widespread dish of the Asturian regional cuisine. Obviously, it is a hearty and caloric meal, born from the need to combat the cold and humid climate of the Asturian winter, but within a moderate, balanced and healthy diet, it fits perfectly.

The “faba La Granja” variety is used in the preparation of fabada, a white, smooth and buttery bean grown in Asturias, of excellent quality and boasting a designation of origin. The recipe is completed by the famous compango, that is, smoked blood sausage and chorizo, and ham and bacon, which give this dish a unique and delicious flavour.

For those who have not yet dared to prepare this type of recipe because they think that their preparations are a bit cumbersome, nothing could be further from the truth: all you need is good raw materials, a good casserole or cocotte , and time to let the chup-chup work its magic.

Precisely for this reason, these recipes are my favorites when I have guests or on those weekends when I have pending work, since due to their simple preparation I only have to dedicate a few minutes to them, just enough to put practically all the ingredients at the same time in this wonderful Le Creuset vitrified cast iron cocotte , ideal for this type of cooking, and let a slow heat and a lot of love do the rest.

Here is the recipe, the one my mother taught me, the one I have taught my daughter and with which I have enjoyed unforgettable moments.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 people)

• 1 Kg of La Granja beans
• 3 Chorizos
• 3 blood sausages
• 250 gr Ham
• 1 piece of Iberian bacon
• 1 Onion
• Saffron
• Olive oil

ELABORATION

1. The night before, soak the beans, covering them well with cold water as they will grow quite a bit. Likewise, put the ham in water to desalt.
2. The next morning we put all the ingredients except the saffron, that is, the beans, the chorizos, the blood sausages, the ham, the bacon and the onion into a large pot or cocotte , we cover everything with cold water and add a splash of olive oil.
3. We put it on the fire and let it start to boil intensely. We remove the foam that forms on the surface with a skimmer and add a little water to stop the cooking, a couple more times, this is what is called scaring the beans.
4. We lower the heat and let it cook very slowly for around three hours, depending on the quality of the beans, with the lid of the cocotte slightly open. Half an hour after finishing cooking, we add the saffron, which we have previously toasted a little in a frying pan .
5. We present the compango on the table so that each diner can serve themselves what they want. You can also serve it in soup tureens, such as those from Emile Henry or Le Creuset , both of which are beautiful.

Please note:

• Cooking should always be done over very low heat.

• We only cover the ingredients with a couple of fingers of water; if we notice that we need more during cooking, we add a little more. This will help the beans to become softer and the result will not be a watery fabada.

• While cooking, do not stir the fabada with any object, simply shake the casserole or cocotte a little to prevent the beans from breaking.

• We do not add salt, since the compango provides enough. However, if it is necessary, we correct it at the end.

• I have used the traditional round cocotte , but the low cocotte , the kettle, or the saucepan type will work equally well for you.