2023 Vuelta España - Stage 19: La Baneza to Iscar.
Today was crazy. It’s 9 pm and I’m just getting to post this bean and pork-a-rific soup, even though I cooked it on Wednesday. How porky? It calls for pig foot and ear. Supposedly, you can cook an ear enough until it gets edible, like 3 days I hear. So this just gets flavor from these pork parts and then you use the really good stuff, like bacon, chorizo and morcilla.
Beans with Sausage and Pig Ear adapted from The Food of Spain, Claudia Roden
2 lbs large white beans
Pig foot or ham hock
Pig ear
Onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
½ lb slab bacon
1 lb chorizo
1 lb morcilla
Quick soak your beans by placing them in a pot of water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for a few minutes. Turn the heat off and cover the pot and let set for 1 hour
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, boil the foot and ear for an hour plus, removing any foam from the surface and adding water, if necessary. Continue boiling until ready to add to the beans
Once the beans have soaked, drain and rinse them. Add the onions with a little olive oil and salt. Saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the drained beans to the pot, cover with a couple inches of water and return to a boil, removing any foam from the surface.
Once the foam subsides, add in a heavy pinch of salt, the bay leaves, bacon. Add the pig foot and ear, along with its cooking water. Bring to a boil and continue to cook, uncovered over medium heat, until the beans are soft, about 90 minutes, adding water if necessary
While the soup cooks, bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the chorizos for 30 minutes. Remove, then cook the morcilla for 2 minutes and remove.
Once the beans are softened, season with salt and pepper. Remove the slab bacon and set aside with the sausages. Remove the bay leaves, pig foot and ear and discard.
To serve, slice up the sausages and bacon. Spoon some soup into a bowl, adding in some meat. Season with flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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