New Spain’s hearty stew with beans, greens, chile and chorizo
We are continually thrilled at the bounty of local produce on display at Santa Fe’s year-round farmer’s market, despite our high and dry climate. Still, by mid-winter we are down to some impressive squashes, root veggies and a variety of local chiles and beans.
Not to be deterred, we concocted a delicious riff off a favorite Spanish bean/chorizo stew, complete with the mandatory post-Inquisition two forms of pork. It’s the perfect mix of Old and New Spain, and it kept us warm during a cold spell while our furnace was down awaiting the magic of geothermal heating (see previous blog “On greening a ranch”).
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups dry beans, we used local Anasazi, but pinto or any favorite bean would do fine
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 inch length of Spanish hard chorizo
- 4 slices of jamón Serrano or prosciutto, chopped very coarsely
- 6 fat cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup red wine
- 4 medium sized tomatoes with their juice, fresh or high quality canned, diced
- 1 tsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
- ½ tsp red chile of your choice
- 4 cups broth or water (half of this can be the water used to cook the beans)
- 2 cups very coarsely chopped spinach, chard or kale
- 4 eggs, nice ones (like from actual chickens, preferably ones that live nearby)
- Drizzle of sherry vinegar
Start by soaking the beans overnight or, if you have not had the chance to do so, use the quick soak method: cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit for an hour. Change water and cook the beans at a gentle boil for 1-2 hours, until soft (the fresher the beans the less time).
Slice the chorizo into thin rounds, heat olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven or favorite soup pot, and cook the chorizo over a medium low heat until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and jamón and cook until the garlic turns golden and the jamón begins to crisp.
Add the tomatoes and season with pimentón, chile and salt to taste. Cook a few minutes, reducing the tomatoes, and then add the wine and reduce for a few minutes. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, adjust for flavoring – salt, chile and pimentón – keeping in mind the flavors will concentrate as it cooks. Plan to simmer for a good half hour or more, adding liquid if it starts to dry out.
Meanwhile, boil your eggs to perfection. I use the Alice Waters method: bring enough water to cover the eggs to a boil, lower in eggs, boil gently for 8 minutes. For those of us at high altitude, compensate for water’s lower boiling point by salting lightly and adding a minute to the cooking time. Lift eggs out and lower into ice water to stop the cooking. When the eggs are cool, crack around their equator and return to the ice water for a few minutes to help separate the shell. This should yield a perfect hard cooked egg with a slightly soft yolk – peel and cut into quarters lengthwise.
Finally, add your greens, cook for a few minutes until soft, and adjust flavoring one last time. Drizzle a little sherry vinegar on top and stir in. Spoon your stew into warm bowls and arrange the egg on top. Enjoy with a glass of hearty red wine – a Rioja or Priorat would be perfect.
Serves 4