I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit bored of finding the same five to seven tapas at "Spanish" restaurants in the U.S. If you've been to too many of these places, you might assume Spanish fare has nothing more to offer than tortilla española and patatas bravas. Nothing could be further from the truth. A country the size of Texas, Spain has so much regional culinary variation, limiting ourselves to paella and a handful of tired tapas is like saying you've tried Mexican food after only eating at Taco Bell-- it's just plain wrong.
If the chefs at our Spanish restaurants won't step their games up, it's up to us. With this in mind, I decided to revamp a Spanish classic that much like the region it comes from, is well-known in Spain, but relatively obscure to the rest of the world.
Fabada Asturiana (or just fabada) is a hearty and rich white bean stew from the northern autonomous region of Asturias. Getting more and more popular with tourists due to its natural beauty, Asturias is known for its mining and agriculture, temperate climate, and its famed stew, primarily flavored with a boatload of pork products. Traditional fabada will usually have cured pork shoulder (lacón), chorizo, and blood sausage (morcilla) in addition to the beans and saffron.
When making this recipe, however, accessibility of products and American palates were taken into consideration. For this reason, the morcilla and saffron had to go. You can probably get saffron, but I don't think you'd want to pay for it (about $300 an ounce). The use of blood sausage is up to you. If you can find it and want to use it-- go ahead-- but I'm guessing the majority of you would prefer to skip it. Lacón is also difficult to find outside Spain, so pancetta and guanciale make good substitutes if you'd rather not use bacon. Fabada is typically served at lunchtime, which is around 2 P.M., and the biggest meal of the day in Spain. While you may not have time to prepare my take on fabada during your lunch break, this recipe can still be onto your table for a perfect weeknight dinner or big weekend lunch in under an hour (including prep). The starch from the canned beans and addition of chopped herbs in the last stage of cooking thickens the sauce, while the abundance of cured pork products develop a rich and complex broth quickly. Heck, the onion wasn't really even necessary for flavor, I just wanted to get rid of it.
Asturias very well may be the ultimate travel destination the tourism industry makes it out to be, but if you follow this recipe, a plane ticket won't be a necessity to enjoy these genuinely delicious Spanish flavors.
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, sliced and any color (not really necessary, either)
16 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed well (cannelini, white kidney, etc)
2 oz Spanish chorizo
3 strips of thick-cut bacon (3.5 oz/100 g)
7 oz pork loin or shoulder, cubed
1 dried ancho or 2 dried guajillo*
1 clove of garlic, smashed (optional)
3/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t oregano
1 sprig of rosemary
1 1/2 C low sodium chicken broth/stock (12 fl oz/350 ml)
large handful (~1/4 C) parsley, plus extra for garnish
grated drunken goat cheese for garnish
black pepper to taste
*If you happen to have some dried Spanish peppers, like a ñora, then by all means use them. I used an ancho chile for its mild heat and great smokey flavor. Guajillos are also a great alternative (although they don't match the ancho's smokiness).
3 large servings
|
Calories
|
Protein
(g)
|
Carbs
(g)
|
Fat
(g)
|
Sodium
(mg)
|
Sugar
(g)
|
Total:
|
1,375
|
102
|
111
|
63
|
1,220
|
4
|
Per Serving:
|
459
|
34
|
37
|
21
|
407
|
1
|
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