Chef Isabel
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Judiones de La Granja
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Judiones de La Granja are Segovia's great spoon dish: giant white beans cooked low with chorizo, morcilla, and pork until the broth turns glossy and the beans stay whole.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
One Pot
25 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•15 hr 25 min total
Yield6 servings
Judiones de La Granja belong to Segovia, in Castilla y Leon, and the bean gives the dish its name before anything else does. These are not small white beans pretending. A judion is large, broad, and buttery inside, strong enough to sit in a stew with chorizo, morcilla, panceta, and still taste of itself.
The method that decides it is the simmer. Soak the beans well, start them in cold water, and then keep the pot at the barest movement, not a boil. A hard boil splits those big skins and turns the broth rough. Low heat gives you whole beans with creamy centers and a broth stained red with pimenton and pork. Cocina de cuchara, spoon food, asks for patience. No mystery there.
If you are far from Segovia, no hace falta haber pisado Espana. Use dried Greek gigantes or large dried butter beans if you cannot get judiones. They will be a little less silky, and some skins may be firmer, but the dish still works if you soak them fully and keep the heat low. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Judiones de La Granja belong to La Granja de San Ildefonso, the royal town in the mountains of Segovia, where the cold air and generous water suited this large white bean. The dish grew from the Castilian habit of making a full meal from legumes and the matanza larder, with chorizo, morcilla, and pork giving strength to the pot. Around Segovia it remains a special cold-weather stew, richer than daily beans and tied closely to the bean grown there.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried judiones de La Granja
Quantity
500g
soaked overnight
Spanish cooking chorizo
Quantity
200g
left whole or in two pieces
morcilla de cebolla
Quantity
200g
left whole
panceta or tocino
Quantity
200g
in one piece
pork ear or cured pork rib (optional)
Quantity
150g
onion
Quantity
1 large
peeled and halved
carrot
Quantity
1
peeled
bay leaf
Quantity
1
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
2 whole and 2 minced
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
60ml
sweet pimenton de la Vera
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plain flour (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
salt
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried judiones de La Granjasoaked overnight | 500g |
| Spanish cooking chorizoleft whole or in two pieces | 200g |
| morcilla de cebollaleft whole | 200g |
| panceta or tocinoin one piece | 200g |
| pork ear or cured pork rib (optional) | 150g |
| onionpeeled and halved | 1 large |
| carrotpeeled | 1 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| garlic cloves2 whole and 2 minced | 4 |
| extra virgin olive oil | 60ml |
| sweet pimenton de la Vera | 1 teaspoon |
| plain flour (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| salt | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy pot or olla, 5 to 6 liters
- •Skimming spoon
- •Small frying pan for the pimenton oil
Instructions
- 1
Soak the beans
Rinse the judiones and soak them in plenty of cold water for 12 hours. They are large beans and need the full soak, so do not cheat this step. Drain them before cooking and throw away the soaking water.
- 2
Start cold
Put the drained beans in a wide heavy pot with the chorizo, panceta, pork ear or rib if using, onion, carrot, bay leaf, and 2 whole garlic cloves. Cover with cold water by 4cm. Bring up slowly over medium-low heat, skimming off the grey foam that rises.
- 3
Keep it low
When the pot begins to move, lower the heat until the surface barely trembles. Do not boil and do not stir with a spoon. Shake the pot by the handles now and then so the beans do not catch. Cook like this for about 2 hours, adding small splashes of cold water if the beans rise above the liquid.
- 4
Add the morcilla
Add the morcilla once the beans are beginning to soften but are not fully tender, usually after 2 hours. If it goes in too early it can burst and muddy the pot. Keep the same low tremble for 45 to 60 minutes more, until a bean is creamy all the way through.
- 5
Make the pimenton base
Warm the olive oil in a small pan and cook the 2 minced garlic cloves gently until pale gold. Stir in the flour if you want a thicker broth, then pull the pan off the heat and add the pimenton. Pimenton burns fast and turns bitter, so let the pan cool a breath before it goes in.
- 6
Finish and rest
Stir the pimenton oil into the pot by shaking the handles, not by digging through the beans. Salt only now, when the skins are tender. Rest the stew off the heat for 20 minutes, then slice the chorizo, morcilla, and panceta and serve a little of each with the beans.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the real judiones de La Granja if you can. If not, use dried Greek gigantes or large dried butter beans. They need the same soak, but may cook a little faster or slower, so judge the bean, not the clock.
- •Keep the heat low enough that you almost doubt it is cooking. That is correct. Big beans split from rough boiling, and once they split you cannot put them back together.
- •Use Spanish cooking chorizo and morcilla de cebolla, not fresh breakfast sausage or smoked supermarket links. The cured pork larder is the backbone here.
- •This stew is better after a rest. Make it in the morning for lunch, or the day before for a calmer pot. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the judiones 12 hours ahead in plenty of cold water, at least three times their volume.
- •The finished stew keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat and shake the pot instead of stirring hard.
- •Freeze only the beans and broth if you can. Morcilla changes texture after freezing, so it is better eaten fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 450g)
Calories
905 calories
Total Fat
56 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
37 g
Cholesterol
105 mg
Sodium
1900 mg
Total Carbohydrates
59 g
Dietary Fiber
14 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
42 g
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