Spanish Fabada recipe

Hi all,

Whilst on our hols in Spain we had something called fabada as part of a tapas meal and it was delicious, so i thought I'd give it a go when I got home. Fabada is a lovely, rich stew made of white beans and chorizo, morcilla (black pudding) and pancetta (definitely not one for vegetarians!). It doesn't make for the most attractive of meals but it's perfect for cold, dark nights!

Its one of those meals that takes a short time to prepare, but quite a long time to cook, but it's actually quite easy to make. Here is the recipe:

500g dried cannelini beans
250g black pudding
250g chorizo
250g pancetta
pinch of saffron
2 bay leaves

1. Soak the beans in water overnight.
2. Put the beans in a large pan (or put half into two pans), just cover with fresh water, and bring to the boil.
3. Meanwhile, chop the chorizo, plack pudding and pancetta into small cubes.
4. Add the saffron, black pudding, chorizo and pancetta into the pan, along with the bay leaves, (add more water to just cover the ingredients in the pan if need be)
5. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, then skim off the froth from the top of the stew.
6. Simmer gently for 2-3 hours until the beans are tender. Make sure to stir occasionally and add water to keep the beans covered so they don't split.
7. Once the beans are tender, increase the heat and stir continuoously until the stew reaches the desired consistency. It should be relatively dry and stodgy, but you could make it more liquid if you would like.

These amounts made two lots big enough for a main course for two people, and a smaller amount which is perfect for use in bento lunches!