Fabada – A Spanish White Bean Stew

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]by Karista Bennett[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Cooking is always an adventure in my kitchen.  Especially when I’m testing a new recipe or a new recipe idea.

Sometimes those recipe ideas are huge successes and end up being a family favorite – and sometimes they are sadly lacking and so awful they end up in the compost bin. Even a trained chef can create a few recipe stinkers once in a while. 

I had been reading about Spanish cuisine several years ago and while digging around in the foundations of the cuisine, I found an interesting Spanish White Bean stew called Fabada. I was extremely intrigued. The hearty ingredients in the stew combined with large Spanish white beans, saffron and sometimes paprika, sounded like a dish my clients, as well as my family, would love. This was a recipe I had to re-create.

Just like most traditional cultural dishes, every chef and every family has their own version of Fabada. I found multiple methods and mouth-watering recipes for preparing this hearty winter dish.

Fabada Asturiana is a slow cooked white bean and pork stew that is served all over Spain. Because it’s such a hearty dish, it’s usually served during the winter months. The stew is filled with large Asturian white beans called Fabes de la Granja and it also typically includes pork shoulder or bacon, black pudding, chorizo and saffron.

Although I adore pulled pork in most any recipe, I decided to keep things simple and add only chorizo and diced smoked ham to the stew. I wanted to create a stew that didn’t require two days or even one long day to prepare. After all, it’s not often I have an entire day to spend in the kitchen cooking – yes, even I have limited time.

If you don’t eat pork you can still enjoy this stew. For a pork free version, chorizo can be found prepared with chicken; and leaving out the diced ham is perfectly acceptable.

How about that black pudding you say? I’m not a huge fan of black pudding. It’s not something most Americans think of when making a recipe, and it’s not readily available here in the states. So you can thank me now… I left that particular ingredient out of my Fabada.

After testing a few versions of this Spanish stew, some good, some not so good, I found a winning recipe. It’s certainly far from the traditional Spanish White Bean Stew, but it’s a lovely homage to a festive cuisine that displays character and excitement in every recipe.

I think this is what I love most about cooking.  Finding a recipe that intrigues me and re-creating it to suit my family’s tastes and lifestyle.  This lovely Spanish White Bean Stew has now become a family favorite. A little spicy, hearty, flavorful and simply prepared on a weeknight or for a cozy winter weekend.  Your tastebuds will not be disappointed!

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