Author Notes
I once did the Camino de Santiago - the pilgrimage across the north of Spain ending in Santiago de Compostela. On the way, my friend from Oveido, a small city in Asturias made popular popular by Vicky Cristina Barcelona, took me in and shared with me some local specialties. We had cheese aged in caves in Asturias, sidra poured from above our heads and fabada - a fava bean stew that's hearty enough to revitalize any hungry pilgrim. Here is an adaptation of my friend's mom's recipe. Buen provecho! —Caitlin Gunther
Ingredients
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1 pound
dry fava beans
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1 pound
pork shoulder
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1/4 pound
pancetta or bacon
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2 pieces
morcilla
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2 pieces
chorizo
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3
cloves garlic, minced
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1
Spanish onion, diced
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 handful
flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
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1 piece
lemon, for finishing (optional)
Directions
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DO AHEAD: cover beans in water and soak overnight or until tender.
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Add olive oil and garlic to a cold, dutch oven. Turn heat to medium low. When garlic is translucent, add onion, stir occasionally.
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In a separate large pan over medium heat, add a glug of olive oil and brown bacon. Add to onion mixture with 1/2 of the drippings.
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Time to strain the beans and toss them in with the rest of your pork products. Cover all ingredients with cold water. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down. Cover and simmer for at least an hour.
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Test pork products for doneness. Cut into the morcilla and chorizo to see if they're fully cooked.
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When ready to serve, chop parsley. Cut morcilla and chorizo into quarters and serve a couple pieces in each bowl with some pork shoulder too. Serve the fabada hot, with parsley and slices of lemon for squeezing on top.
Caitlin is a Paris-based writer. She wrote about food and wine while living in Madrid after college, and had a brief career as a lawyer before moving back to Spain to work in restaurants and attend culinary courses at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastian. She has worked or staged at Mina, Nerua and Septime. Caitlin is currently working on her first memoir about working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Bilbao. Follow her on Insta at @caitlinrauxgunther
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