Fabada
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Fabada, almost universal
Fabada is the best known dish of Asturian cuisine. In fact, it is one of the best known recipes of Spanish gastronomy. Its key ingredient is the white beans known as “fabas de granja”, to which a generous amount of cured meat - chorizo, Asturian black pudding, shoulder and bacon - are added to form what is known as the “compango”. It is a heavy dish, which only outsiders will dare to order for an evening meal. Today, it is often ordered as a single dish followed by dessert. There are also other variants of beans stew, such as “pote”, in which the fabes (beans) are mixed with cabbage and potatoes and cured meats, which may include other parts of the pig, such as pig's ear. Regarding “fabes”, there are countless different specialities: fabes with clams, fabes with seafood, fabes with wild boar….
Like “pillows”
Whether you speak Asturian (bable) or not, the beans used in the fabada, which are protected under a Designation of Origin, are “fabes” and the connoisseurs say that they should be “white, large and soft, like “pillows”. The recipe, which is easy to find on the Internet, is simple but requires care and a slow fire. The fabes should be soaked in cold water the night before. By morning, they will have noticeably increased in size. Put them on the stove in a pot with a bay leaf and place the lid on the pot. The cured meats can be added from the beginning or halfway through the preparation (some people jokingly call this “fabada light”). Cook the beans on a slow fire for least two hours. Never stir the stew, just shake the pot a bit. As it boils, add a bit of cold water occasionally. A process that is known as “asustar las fabes” (scare the beans). If you buy fresh beans instead of dried beans – during the harvest season – they can be frozen raw in a bag and then they do not need soaking. The fabada will be tastier if you prepare it the day before you plan to eat it.