Chef Isabel
Alubias de La Bañeza con Boletus
This León guiso pairs La Bañeza beans with wild boletus, a quiet autumn stew where the beans simmer gently and the mushrooms go in near the end, while they still have bite and perfume.
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Alubias Rojas de Ibeas
Created by
Burgos cooks its purple-red Ibeas beans slowly with chorizo, morcilla de Burgos, and tocino, a dark spoon stew where the rule is simple: shake the pot, never stir.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
Batch Cooking
One Pot
20 min
Active Time
2 hr 30 min cook•14 hr 50 min total
Yield6 servings
Alubias Rojas de Ibeas are Burgos through and through: small purple-red beans from Ibeas de Juarros, cooked slowly with chorizo, morcilla de Burgos, and tocino until the broth turns dark, thick, and glossy. This is not the grand olla podrida, heavy with every sacramento from the pig. This is the home pot, the everyday cuchara, spoon food, and it has its own dignity.
The method that decides it is gentleness. Soak the beans overnight, start them in cold water, and keep them at a low tremble. A hard boil breaks the skins and muddies the broth. Don't stir with a spoon. Shake the pot by the handles now and then, and the beans will thicken their own sauce without falling apart.
If you can't find alubia roja de Ibeas, use a good small dried red bean, cranberry bean, or a small pinto at a pinch. It won't have quite the same thin skin or deep wine-coloured broth, but it will still give you a proper Castilian pot if the cured pork is good. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need the right patience, and the morcilla matters.
Add the morcilla near the end so it perfumes the pot without bursting into it. That line is in my Margin twice, which means I learned it the hard way. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Alubia roja de Ibeas belongs to Ibeas de Juarros and the Arlanzón valley in Burgos, where the cold Castilian climate gives a small red bean with thin skin and a dense, buttery centre. The bean is also the base of olla podrida burgalesa, the richer feast pot loaded with pork sacramentos, but many homes cook a plainer stew with chorizo, morcilla de Burgos, and tocino for the ordinary table. Morcilla de Burgos, made with rice, onion, blood, and spice, marks the dish as Burgos as clearly as the bean itself.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried alubias rojas de Ibeas
Quantity
500g
soaked overnight
cold water
Quantity
1.8 litres, plus more as needed
Spanish cooking chorizo
Quantity
200g
in 2 pieces
morcilla de Burgos
Quantity
250g
left whole
tocino or cured pork belly
Quantity
150g
in one piece
onion
Quantity
1 small
peeled, left whole
carrot
Quantity
1
peeled, left whole
garlic
Quantity
3 cloves
peeled
bay leaf
Quantity
1
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
sweet pimentón de la Vera
Quantity
1 teaspoon
salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried alubias rojas de Ibeassoaked overnight | 500g |
| cold water | 1.8 litres, plus more as needed |
| Spanish cooking chorizoin 2 pieces | 200g |
| morcilla de Burgosleft whole | 250g |
| tocino or cured pork bellyin one piece | 150g |
| onionpeeled, left whole | 1 small |
| carrotpeeled, left whole | 1 |
| garlicpeeled | 3 cloves |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| sweet pimentón de la Vera | 1 teaspoon |
| salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large heavy pot or olla, 5 to 6 litres
- •Skimming spoon
- •Small pan for the pimentón oil
Instructions
- 1
Soak the beans
Put the alubias in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and soak for 10 to 12 hours. Drain them before cooking. Pésalo, no lo adivines: 500g dried beans is the amount that fills a family pot without crowding it.
If any beans float after soaking, lift them away. Old beans cook unevenly and stay chalky no matter how patient you are. - 2
Start cold
Put the drained beans in a wide heavy pot with the cold water, chorizo, tocino, onion, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf. Do not add the morcilla yet. Bring the pot up slowly over medium heat, skimming the grey foam that rises in the first 10 minutes.
- 3
Keep it gentle
Lower the heat until the pot barely trembles. Cook gently for about 1 hour 45 minutes, adding a small splash of cold water if the beans show above the liquid. Do not stir with a spoon. Shake the pot by the handles now and then, because that movement thickens the broth while keeping the skins whole.
- 4
Add pimentón
Warm the olive oil in a small pan, take it off the heat, and stir in the pimentón for a few seconds until it smells sweet and smoky. Pour it into the pot. Keep the heat low; scorched pimentón turns bitter, and then the whole stew pays for it.
- 5
Cook the morcilla
Prick the morcilla once or twice with the tip of a knife and lay it on top of the beans for the last 25 to 30 minutes. Keep the simmer soft so the morcilla de Burgos holds together and gives its rice, onion, and spice to the broth without bursting.
- 6
Season and rest
When the beans are tender all the way through, salt carefully, because the chorizo and tocino have already done some of the work. Lift out the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, chorizo, tocino, and morcilla. Rest the beans off the heat for 15 minutes so the broth settles and thickens.
- 7
Serve the pot
Slice the chorizo, tocino, and morcilla into thick pieces and return them to the pot, or serve them alongside so each bowl gets a fair share. The broth should be dark red-brown, glossy, and thick enough to coat the spoon. Serve with bread, and leave it alone after that.
Chef Tips
- •Buy alubia roja de Ibeas if you can. It is smaller and darker than many red beans, with a thin skin that nearly disappears in the pot. A small dried red bean, cranberry bean, or small pinto will work far from Burgos, but the broth will be lighter and the texture a little less creamy.
- •Use morcilla de Burgos, not a soft onion-only morcilla if you have the choice. The rice in the Burgos sausage is part of the flavour and texture here, and it marks the dish properly.
- •Salt near the end. Chorizo, tocino, and morcilla all give salt to the pot, and early salting can make older beans stubborn. Taste when the beans are tender, then decide.
- •This is better the next day. Chill it once cool, then reheat slowly with a splash of water if the broth has set too thick. Shake the pot, still no spoon.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the beans 10 to 12 hours ahead in plenty of cold water.
- •The stew can be cooked one day ahead and reheated gently; the broth deepens overnight and turns silkier.
- •If making ahead, keep the morcilla whole until serving, then slice it after reheating so it stays neat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 500g)
Calories
760 calories
Total Fat
41 g
Saturated Fat
15 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
26 g
Cholesterol
80 mg
Sodium
1500 mg
Total Carbohydrates
61 g
Dietary Fiber
14 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
35 g
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