Fabada Asturiana is as common in the north as Paella is around the Mediterranean coast. Navy or haricot beans are often suggested, but the Spanish know a thing or two about pulses and for them judion/butter beans are king. There are beans and beans and, frankly, many of the organic wholefood offering are poor fare compared with some of the more specialist indigenous Spanish and Italian offerings. If you are lucky enough to have access to Brindisa’s excellent and seemingly expensive dried butter beans - go for them. They are worth every penny. Most recipes call for morcilla (Spanish black pudding) but you can leave it out, or substitute our own black pudding. A few over ripe tomatoes are also a good addition and these runny stews can be a good use for leftover brassicas. PSB, spring greens or black cabbage are good because they keep their colour. Savoys can look a little insipid. The recipe says discard the garlic but don’t. Squeeze out the flesh and whizz it up with any beans you have leftover once the meat has been picked out and have it on toast the next day.

Ingredients - serves 8

500g dried judion (butter beans) or haricot
1 bay leaf
225g streaky bacon
250g stewing beef/braising steak
1 ham hock
150g fresh Riverford chorizo sausage
150g Riverford black pudding or French country sausage
1 onion, peeled
1 deseeded chilli pepper, left whole
1 head of garlic

Method

1 Soak the beans as per packet instructions, drain and cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Add the bacon, beef, ham hock, bay leaf, whole onion, chilli and garlic. Simmer for an hour and a quarter, checking to make sure that the water just covers the meat.

2 Add the sausage/black pudding and chorizo and cook for another hour. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

3 Discard the chilli, garlic, onion and bayleaf. Slice the meats and serve with the beans and crusty white bread. Like most stews it will be thicker and tastier the following day.