Fabada Asturiana – Spanish pork and bean stew

You may well have heard of cassoulet – well fabada Asturiana is it’s Northern Spanish cousin. A hearty, warming white bean stew with lots of porky goodness, it’s incredibly easy and perfect for a cold day.

I have a confession: I’ve been sitting on this recipe for some time. Somehow I didn’t get round to sharing this fabada recipe last winter and as you’ll see, it really is a cold weather dish.

In fact it came about when we were stuck inside for a few days. The week between Christmas and New Year just over a year ago coincided with some really cold weather. Accompanied by new toys, none of us were really up for going anywhere, so I also did some full on comfort food cooking.

We did pretty well those few days, with things like braised lamb shanks and avgolomeno soup that I shared soon after. We also had some old favorites like romesco de peix, Catalan fish stew. I also made this  other classic Spanish dish, but didn’t quite get round to sharing, as I say. Time for that to change.

The first time I lived in Spain I was in Catalunya in the Northeast (Mediterranean side), but I did a bit of a tour by train along the Northern coast (towards the North Sea/Atlantic), stopping along the way at various large and small towns.

I’m glad to say I went in Spring so the weather was a bit warmer, but it could still get cold in mountain areas like Asturias. Much of Northern Spain is hilly, but Asturias has full on mountains.

There’s a train route that goes right through the Pico de Europa mountains which I took and loved. I still vividly remember the incredibly well kept stations and the mountain campsite I stayed at. I also remember the distinctive mountain fare, of simple food and sidre, the local hard cider.

Where does fabada come from?

Fabada is originally from Astrurias, a largely mountainous region on the North coast of Spain, hence why it’s often called ‘fabada Asturiana’. It’s just what you might expect of mountain food – relatively simple, hearty, and making use of cheaper cuts of meat.

These days it’s a bit more planned, but I can imagine it was originally made using leftover pieces of meat. For something so simple, the result is delicious.

What kind of beans are in fabada?

Traditionally, “fabes de la granja” (‘beans of the farm’) are used. They are a white runner bean native to Asturias and relatively large. Since you are not necessarily going to find them, as I couldn’t, use whatever white beans you can, ideally relatively large.

How to make fabada Asuriana

While it takes a bit of time, this is an incredibly easy dish to make. Plus, it works well to make it ahead and then gently reheat. All you do is:

• soak the beans overnight.
• Cook the beans along with a ham hock, some Spanish chorizo and a bit of bacon.
• Leave all the meats intact while they cook, then take them out at the end.
• Let the meats cool enough to handle then chop them, removing bones, skin and fat, and put back in with the beans.

You can see how it all comes together in the short video:

You will probably want to skim some fat from the stew before you mix the meats back in, but otherwise that’s all there is to it. And the flavors are so good.

You can add in black pudding, and some versions add onion, a little saffron or paprika, but I don’t think you particularly need them. If you do add black pudding, I suggest only towards the end as it may break up otherwise.

Fabada is a wonderfully comforting, flavorful dish that’s perfect for a cold day (and with a glass of Spanish red wine). It may not be all that pretty, but believe me the flavor makes up for it.

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