Ingredients (9)
- 1 lb. large white beans, e.g., lima or Italian butter beans
- 1 chorizo de Bilbao, weighing around 4 oz.
- 1 morcilla, or similar blood sausage, around 4 oz.
- 1 piece of slab bacon, skin on, around 4 oz.
- 1 pig's ear, tail, or foot (optional)
- 6 T olive oil
- 2 t paprika (sweet paprika. or a combination of sweet and hot)
- 2 T flour
- 1 genererous tablespoon crushed garlic
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This is one of my very best food memories of Spain—the fabada cooked by my cousin-in-law, Rafa, a talented artist who generously gave me the recipe for this simple, delectable obra maestra. It is loaded with the flavors of chorizo, bacon, paprika, and garlic.
Note: while this dish is edible right after cooking, it is far better the next day.
Instructions
- 1Soak the beans for several hours. Discard the water. In a large pot, place the beans and all the pork products with enough water to cover all the ingredients.
- 2Bring the pot to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally. (This can take anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 16 hours, depending on the size of the beans and the level of heat you are using.)
- 3Take out the sausages and bacon. Let them cool while you prepare the sofrito, then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Discard the other pork parts. Keep the beans simmering in enough water to just cover them.
- 4in a small saucepan, heat up the olive oil. Add the garlic, and cook until it turns a light gold. Stir in the paprika and flour, and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour the sofrito into the beans, and bring the mixture to a light boil to thicken the liquid.
- 5Add the sausages and bacon back into the fabada and cook everything together for at least another 15 minutes. Let it rest for several hours (overnight is better) before re-heating gently and serving.
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