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Bean Soup With Sausages
(Fabada Asturiana)
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| What You Need: |
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4 to 5 quarts water
2 cups (1 pound) dried fava beans or dried white kidney beans
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
¼ pound lean salt pork, in one piece with rind removed
½ pound "serrano" ham, or substitute other lean smoked ham, in one piece
3 "chorizos", or substitute ½ pound other garlic-seasoned smoked pork sausage
3 "morcillas", or substitute ½ pound other blood sausage
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron or saffron threads crushed with a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
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| How To Cook: |
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1. In a heavy 8- to 10-quart casserole, bring 2 quarts of the water to a boil over high heat. Drop in the beans and boil them briskly uncovered for 2 minutes.
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2. Then remove the casserole from the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain the beans in a sieve or colander set over a large bowl and return them to the casserole.
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3. Measure the bean-soaking liquid, add to it enough additional water to make 4 quarts and pour it into the casserole. Add the onions, garlic, and salt pork and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile skimming off the foam as it rises to the surface.
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4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 1 hour. Add the ham and simmer about 1 hour longer, or until the beans are barely tender.
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5. Meanwhile, place the "chorizos" in an 8-to 10-inch skillet and prick them in two or three places with the point of a small, sharp knife.
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6. Add enough cold water to cover them completely and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Drain the sausages on paper towels.
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7. When the soup has cooked for its allotted 2 hours, drop in the "chorizos" and "morcillas", stir in the saffron, and cook 30 minutes longer. Taste and season liberally with salt and a few grindings of pepper.
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8. Then with a slotted spoon, transfer the salt pork, ham and sausages to a plate. Cut the pork and ham into ½-inch cubes and slice the sausages into ½-inch-thick rounds. Return the meat to the soup and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
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9. Traditionally, "Fabada" is accompanied by a cornbread similar to the Portuguese Broa and glasses of sparkling apple cider.
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