Carillas Extremeñas

Carillas Extremeñas belong to Extremadura: small black-eyed beans, called chiquillos con chaleco, little children in waistcoats, stewed with chorizo, bay, garlic, and pimentón de la Vera. This is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, but quicker than most bean pots because carillas cook tender without a long soak.

The step that decides the dish is the sofrito, the slow onion base. Cook the onion and pepper low until they go soft, dark gold, and sweet before the pimentón touches the pan. Then take the pan off the heat to stir in the pimentón, because scorched pimentón turns bitter and there's no saving it by wishing.

If you can't find Spanish carillas, use dried black-eyed peas. They're the same family and behave well, though some cook a little faster, so start tasting at 35 minutes. What matters is the pimentón de la Vera and a real Spanish cooking chorizo, not a dry slicing sausage. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need the right red paprika, patience with the sofrito, and a pot that simmers kindly. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.