Fabada or Fabes. Traditional Asturian recipe

The method of preparation of this dish is simple, although not easy. Several factors can spoil the recipe: poor salting of the meat, cooking over high heat, lack of the necessary conditions for water. But I'll tell you, the ingredients are the most important. As in Galician cuisine, Asturian cuisine uses high quality raw materials, making it one of the most popular in Spain. There are many Fabes, but none of them look like an Asturian woman. It is a simple recipe dominated by quality ingredients and a fairly slow cooking time. The recipe, made with love and with the right ingredients, will be like being in Asturias.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of beans
  
  
• 250 g of Asturian cured bacon
  
  
• 2 Asturian sausages
  
  
• 2 Asturian blood sausages
  
  
• Water
  
  
• 200 g of ham bone
  
  
• Salt to taste)
  
  
• 3 strands of saffron

Before cooking.

1. One of the important steps is choosing the variety of beans. I use the most typical one in fabada: fabes "from the Farm" that can be found in any supermarket.
   
   
2. It is a smooth and buttery variety appropriate for this recipe. Asturias grows this variety throughout its territory. They are characterized by an excellent taste and a creamy texture after cooking, which is a gastronomic treasure. We spread them on a flat surface and throw away the damaged ones.. We wash them to remove impurities.
   
   
3. We leave them in a bowl of cold water to soak overnight, normally 12 hours. No need to add salt while soaking. The next day we drain them and set them aside until ready.
   
   
4. Soak the cured bacon and the ham bone in warm water the night before preparing the fabada.

Making Asturian Bean Stew

1. Place the beans in a pot as low and wide as possible (preferably terracotta). Fill with water until a few fingers are on top. Stir again to make good. Heat over high heat until boiling.
   
   
2. When it boils, add bacon, sausages, ham and blood sausage (cut into slices first to prevent bursting).
   
   
3. Be sure to keep the blood sausage and chorizo ​​on top to avoid possible breakage that will ruin the fabada.
   
   
4. Let's lather for a few minutes. That is, we remove the foam, which usually contains impurities, and at the same time degrease the broth a little. After cooking for 1/2 hour over high heat, add the saffron strands dissolved in a little hot broth from the pan.

Cooking fabada and final presentation:

1. Decrease the cooking temperature. Salt to taste, it is important to taste the broth because we add ham bones and they can be salty.
   
   
2. Cook them over low heat for 2 hours. Always stir occasionally with a wooden spoon without breaking them. In those two hours we add cold water twice to "scare" (breaks the boil and helps cook them perfectly).
   
   
3. We taste the fabada to make sure it is already soft and add salt. When it tastes soft, remove from heat and let it brew for about an hour.
   
   
4. Then remove the sausages, blood sausage, bacon and ham bones. Prepare the meat by cutting the sausages into large slices. Finely chop the bacon using boneless meat. We have reserved for presentation. Best served in a deep plate with fabada and meat, it's very simple.