Fabada Asturiana

Fabada Asturiana belongs to Asturias, the green north, and what makes it itself is the pairing of fat fabes de la granja with compango, the cured chorizo, morcilla, lacón, and tocino that season the whole pot. No sofrito, no browning, no cleverness. This is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, and the beans and pork do the work if you let them.

The method that decides the dish is the simmer. Start the soaked fabes in cold water, bring them up slowly, then hold the pot at the barest tremble. Never a hard boil. A boil bursts the beans and turns the broth cloudy and rough; a slow tremble keeps the skins whole while the insides go creamy. If the pot threatens to dry or boil too hard, add a splash of cold water, asustar las fabes, to calm it down.

If you can't find fabes where you are, use judión beans or good large cannellini. The texture will be a little less buttery, but the dish still stands if the compango is right. Hunt for Spanish cooking chorizo and morcilla Asturiana if you can. No hace falta haber pisado España, but the pork has to taste of the place.

My margin note for fabada is short: sin prisa, without hurry. Soak properly, simmer gently, salt late, and let the pot rest before serving. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.