If i’m cooking at home, I love to throw everything
into one pot and place it in the middle of the table for serving. It not only
saves on the washing-up but it also helps to stimulate and heighten your senses
so you can enjoy your meal even more. One-pot dishes are real comfort food at
this time of the year, winter warmers that really sooth the soul. The Spanish
have invented a great variety of one pot dishes called “potajes”. One of the most revered is known as
“Fabada”. This is a traditional and hearty white bean stew from the northern
Spanish region of Asturias. Particularly popular during the colder months, it
is traditionally eaten with crusty bread and a glass of Asturian
cider. Good quality chorizo and morcilla (black pudding) is the key to a
great fabada, and if you can find cured or smoked pork belly, even better! If
using dried white beans, be sure to soak them in cold water overnight before
cooking. As well as starting the rehydration process, this helps to eliminate
any impurities that can make them difficult to digest later. As you cook beans,
a white scum often floats to the surface; skim this off with a slotted spoon.
Do not add salt until the end of cooking as salt has a hardening effect: it
toughens the skin and stops the inside from becoming tender. This hearty Asturian dish is a perfect
lunch on a cold day... and don't forget the crusty bread and cider!
FABADA
ASTURIANA
This is my very simple and easy version of this
Spanish Classic.
Ingredients: serves
6
1kg white
butter beans (fabes)
500ml chicken stock
3 uncooked
chorizos
3 Morcilla
(black puddings)
300g streaky
bacon, diced
1 onion
(finely chopped)
3 garlic
cloves (crushed)
Place the white beans in a large saucepan and cover
with cold water.
Leave to soak overnight. The next morning, drain
the beans and cover with the chicken stock and a little cold water. Bring to
the boil and then lower the heat to gentle simmer. Remove any scum from the
surface and add the streaky bacon, onions and garlic and cook slowly with a lid
on for about 35-40 minutes or until the beans are cooked and soft. Add a little
more cold water if neccesary.
Poach the chorizos and black puddings in water for
about 10 minutes. Drain and cut into slices then add them to the beans. Season
and serve immediately.
WHITE
BEANS WITH FRESH CLAMS AND SAFFRON
FABADA
DE ALMEJAS
This is a much healthier version with saffron and
fresh clams.
Ingredients Serves 4
200g dried white beans (soaked overnight)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1kg fresh clams, cleaned
400ml fish stock (bouillon)
1 tsp saffron
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 large onion, finely chopped
100ml olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the white beans, bay leaves, thyme and 1 garlic
clove in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce
the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, bring the fresh clams and
fish stock (bouillon) to the boil and cook for 2–3 minutes until the clams have
opened (discard any that remain closed). Pour the cooked clams and stock into
the pan with the cooked beans.
In a pestle and mortar, crush the remaining garlic
cloves with the saffron and breadcrumbs to form a paste. Remove the beans from
the heat and stir in the breadcrumb mixture and the chopped parsley. Season to
taste and serve immediately.
ARROZ
BRUT
Majorcan cuisine is very robust and has its roots
firmly planted in rustic, peasant fare. One of my favourites is “Arroz Brut”.
Literally translated as dirty rice, it’s a delicious broth cooked in an
earthenware pot with rice, rabbit, pork, vegetables and a few snails thrown in
for good measure. It’s also the perfect winter warmer!
This recipe is from my Modern Mediterranean
Cookbook and is simple version with rabbit, quail and butifarron(local sausage)
but you can substitute with chicken, pork or game when in season. Add a few
snails if you want it to be really authentic!
Ingredients Serves
6
100ml olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 large pinch saffron
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground nutmeg
300g bomba rice or any short grain rice
300g mixed wild mushrooms
500g rabbit, cut into pieces
2.5l chicken stock (bouillon)
1
butifarron (black pudding), sliced
250g fresh peas
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over a
medium heat, add the onion and gently cook for about 2 minutes, without
colouring. Stir through the garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, tomatoes, paprika and
saffron and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Add the wild mushrooms, rabbit,
quails and chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer
for 15 minutes. Add the rice, peas, butifarron and simmer for a further 20
minutes. Use a ladle to skim off any fat and impurities that rise to the
surface during cooking. Season with salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley,
pour into a soup tureen and serve at the table.
Comments
Post a Comment