by Caroline Marson from No-Fuss Suppers (Ryland Peters & Small)
This is a cheat’s version of a Spanish peasant stew called a fabada– beans, sausage & a rich tomato & red wine sauce make a welcoming supper on a cold winter’s evening. If you can’t get hold of chorizo, any spicy sausage will do. It is especially good with a glass of Rioja.
Serves 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (fresh or frozen)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (fresh, frozen or from a jar)
75g chorizo sausage, skin removed & cut into 1cm slices
100ml red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 red onion, cut into thin slices
400g tin butter beans, drained
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
a few fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs (or from frozen)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp of finely grated Parmesan cheese
warm crusty bread, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large, high-sided frying pan.
Add the chopped onion & garlic & cook for a few mins over medium heat. Add the chorizo sausage & cook for a further 2-3 mins.
Add the red wine & bring to the boil. Allow to bubble until the mixture is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, red onion petals, butter beans 100ml water & the dried mixed herbs & rosemary or thyme sprigs. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 mins.
Season to taste with salt & pepper & spoon into warmed serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese & serve immediately with chunks of warm crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Nige says: For a vegetarian version use veggie chorizo, or whichever sausage you prefer. You’ll need a touch more oil, to make up for that extruded from the meaty chorizo. Peeled sweet potato, turnip, swede or celeriac, cut into 2cm square pieces & added instead of the meaty chorizo would work well on their own or alongside a veggie sausage.
