Recipe: Asturian Pork and Beans (Fabada Asturiana)

This is a wonderful one dish meal.

Asturian Pork and Beans
6 SERVINGS
This dish is called fabada asturiana because it is regarded as the region's signature dish. Traditional versions use use Asturian fabes (fava beans) and blood sausage, which is replaced here with a meaty ham hock.

1 pound dried fabes, cannellini or other large white beans "picked over, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 large onion, peeled
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon piment n (smoked paprika)
1 large pinch of saffron threads, crushed
1 meaty fresh ham hock (1 pound)
1/2 pound slab bacon, in 1 piece
1/2 pound semi-dry Spanish-style chorizos
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Drain the beans and transfer them to a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the onion, garlic, piment n, crushed saffron, ham hock, bacon and 12 cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer the stew, tucking the ham hock under the cooking liquid as necessary, until the beans are almost tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Add the chorizos to the bean stew and cook until the meat and beans are tender and the cooking liquid is thick and slightly reduced, about 45 minutes longer.

Discard the onion and garlic and transfer the meat to a bowl. Pull the meat from the ham hock and cut it into large pieces. Cut the bacon and chorizos into pieces. Add the meat to the beans and season lightly with salt and pepper.

MAKE AHEAD The pork and beans can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Reheat and season just before serving.