Alubias de Tolosa
Editor's Note: This recipe, introductory text, and author's tips are excerpted from Marina Chang's book Tastes of the Pyrenees, Classic and Modern. We've also added some tips of our own below.
For a complete guide to Basque cuisine, click here.
Beans have long been an important diet component from Asturias (fabada asturiana) to Toulouse (cassoulet). They are easily stored and in centuries past could enable a rural family to eat well during winter. Tolosa is a Basque town in Guipúzcoa, Spain, near the French border and San Sebastián. Known for manufacturing the familiar Basque berets, on Saturdays it also hosts a colorful farmers' market in the village square where visitors can sample local produce. Red beans of Tolosa are often referred to as black beans, and their cultivation is concentrated primarily in Guipúzcoa. The Basque consider this bean variety to be the best tasting that can be had. Tolosa has long been famous for its stews made of these local red beans. Periodically, the area's chefs have contests to vie for the recognition of preparing the best. As with many widely made classic dishes, the recipe for alubias de Tolosa will vary with each Basque cook; however, this version is fairly representative. The town of Gernika also lays claim to having outstanding beans for this recipe. This dish is often served with pickled guindillas, a pencil-thin, regional, spicy green pepper.
• Morcilla cebolla (also called morcilla negra), a blood sausage from the Basque country, is available at spanishtable.com. Other types of blood sausage can be substituted, although varieties from the Caribbean will be very spicy, which is not ideal for this stew. If you cannot find blood sausage, substitute any artisanal sausage, especially one made with duck. • Add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water to make the beans more tender. • To avoid a bitter flavor in the finished dish, remove the germ of the garlic (the green sprout sometimes found in the middle) before you chop the cloves.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place beans in a large bowl or pot and fill with water at least 2 inches past the top of beans. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in a pot, adding enough water to cover beans. Boil until a foam rises to the top. Remove from heat, and pour off foamy top liquid.
Step 2
Heat olive oil in a large pot or casserole dish over medium-high heat. Quickly brown the surface of the ribs. Add salt pork or bacon, and onion, stirring quickly for 3 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté until garlic begins to turn a straw color. Pour in beans and add enough water to cover all. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are cooked through and centers are no longer tough.
Step 3
Add chorizo and continue to cook for 30 minutes. At this time, cook the morcilla separately in a pan with just enough water for them to simmer, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
Step 4
When the beans are done, season with salt and pepper, if needed. Just prior to serving, remove and cut into sections, pork ribs, salt pork/ bacon, and chorizo sausages, if whole. Also cut morcilla sausage into sections.
Step 5
Serve the beans, including a piece of pork rib, chorizo, and some morcilla in each serving.
