Fabes con Pitu de Caleya

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy olla or Dutch oven, 6 to 7 litres
• •Skimming spoon
• •Tongs for browning the pitu
• •Wide bowl for soaking the fabes

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the fabes

   Put the fabes in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of cold water, at least three fingers above the beans. Leave them 12 to 14 hours, then drain them and discard any that float stubbornly. The soak lets the centres cook through before the skins split. Pésalo, no lo adivines: 500g is the right amount for this bird and this pot.

   Do not use canned beans here. They are already cooked, and they will collapse long before the pitu has given the broth what it owes you.
2. 2

   Brown the pitu

   Pat the pitu de caleya dry and season it with 8g of the salt. Heat 40ml of the olive oil in a heavy 6 to 7 litre olla or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the bird in batches, skin side down first, until the pieces are deep gold with darker edges, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Lift them to a plate. You are not cooking the meat through yet; you are building the flavour the broth will carry later.

3. 3

   Cook the sofrito

   Lower the heat and add the remaining 20ml olive oil to the same pot. Add the onion, leek, green pepper, and a small pinch of the remaining salt. Cook low and slow, scraping up the browned bits, until the vegetables are dark gold, soft, and jammy, 25 to 30 minutes. This sofrito, the slow onion base, is where the sweetness comes from. Rush it and the broth tastes thin.

4. 4

   Add tomato and pimentón

   Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, just until it smells sweet. Add the grated tomato and cook until it loses its raw smell and thickens into the sofrito, 8 to 10 minutes. Pull the pot off the heat, stir in the pimentón, saffron, and bay leaf, then return it to low heat. Pimentón burns fast and turns bitter, so give it warmth, not punishment.

5. 5

   Reduce the cider

   Return the browned pitu and its juices to the pot. Pour in the brandy and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the sidra natural. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half and smells sharp and savoury, 5 to 7 minutes. Use dry cider, not sweet cider. Sweet cider gives you a flat, sugary stew, and Asturias did not ask for that.

6. 6

   Start the beans

   Add the drained fabes around the chicken pieces, then pour in 2.1L cold water. The beans should be covered by about 3cm. Bring the pot up slowly over medium-low heat, 30 to 40 minutes, skimming off the grey foam that rises. Start cold and climb slowly; it keeps the fabes whole instead of shocking the skins open.

7. 7

   Hold a tremble

   Once the pot is barely bubbling, lower the heat and keep it at the gentlest tremble for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Do not stir with a spoon. Shake the pot by the handles now and then so the beans move without breaking. If the liquid drops too far, add a small splash of cold water, asustar las fabes, to settle the boil and keep the skins intact. After 2 hours, add the remaining salt and start tasting: the beans should be creamy all the way through, and the pitu should yield at the bone.

   If you are using ordinary free-range chicken thighs instead of a stewing hen, add them after the beans have cooked for 60 to 75 minutes. They tender sooner, and the broth will be lighter. That is the compromise.
8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the stew rest 20 to 30 minutes. Skim a little fat if you like, but leave enough gloss on the broth. If the liquid is too loose, crush two spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pot and shake the pot gently to thicken it. Serve deep bowls with fabes, broth, and a piece of pitu in each one. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Chef Tips

• •A real pitu de caleya is an older, walking bird. If you can't get one, buy a stewing hen or capon; free-range chicken thighs are the last good compromise. Use thighs and drumsticks, not breast, and start checking early because they tender sooner and give a lighter broth.
• •Fabes de la granja are wide, thin-skinned, and creamy. Judión de La Granja or a good large cannellini will work, but the broth won't turn quite as buttery. Soak dried beans properly. This is not the place for canned beans.
• •Keep the pot at a tremble. If you hear a rolling boil, turn it down. Shake the pot by the handles instead of stirring, and add a small splash of cold water when the level drops.
• •Use dry sidra natural if you can, the sharp Asturian cider that cuts the richness. Sweet cider makes the stew taste dull and sticky; dry white wine is the better substitute.
• •This stew is better the next day. Cool it quickly, refrigerate it covered, and reheat it gently over low heat. If it sets too thick, loosen it with a little water, not stock, or you'll flatten the seasoning you already got right.
• •Serve it with sidra natural, or with a fresh light red such as young Mencía. Heavy oak gets in the way of the beans.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the fabes 12 to 14 hours ahead in plenty of cold water. Drain them just before cooking.
• •You can brown the pitu and cook the sofrito one day ahead. Chill the browned bird with the sofrito, then add the drained soaked beans and water the next day and simmer low.
• •The finished stew keeps well for 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly and shake the pot instead of stirring so the beans stay whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)