Category Archives: Pork

Spicy Black Bean and Chorizo Stew

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cortijoblog black bean and chorizo stew

BLACK BEAN STEW

We tend to eat a lot of pulses and beans in stews over the winter months or “platos de cuchara” as they are know here. This type of dish is very common throughout Spain and each region has its own speciality, whether it is Fabada in Asutria or Cocido in Madrid. I had never cooked with black beans before and this dish was something I discovered during the first COVID lockdown in 2020 and has been a firm favourite ever since. It’s a really simple recipe with only a few ingredients but is simple to make in the pressure cooker and tastes delicious. You’ll need to soak the beans overnight in water and rinse and drain them before using.

cortijoblog black bean stew

Spicy Black Bean and Chorizo Stew

This is a simple but delicious stew that can be prepared in no time at all.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g dried black beans, soaked for 24 hours
  • 100g spicy chorizo, sliced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 chilli pepper
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon smoked spicy paprika
  • 1 litre water

METHOD

  1. Heat some olive oil in a pressure cooker.
  2. Gently fry the onion until soft.
  3. Add the sliced chorizo and fry for another couple of minutes.
  4. Stir in the paprika and add the remaining ingredients.
  5. Cover the pressure cooker and bring to pressure.
  6. Turn down the heat and cook for 60 minutes.
  7. Turn off the heat and leave the pressure cooker for 5 minutes before releasing the pressure.
  8. Serve.

NOTES

The cooking time will depend on the bean so if you are using older beans, you should adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Cocido (Spanish pork and chicken stew)

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Spanish Pork Chicken Cocido

Spanish Pork Chicken Cocido is a traditional, hearty chickpea and meat stew that is originally from Madrid. It is very similar to the French “Pot au feu”, where all the meats and vegetables are cooked together and then served separately, with the liquid often served as a first course. This version is slightly non-traditional as I have used pork and chicken instead of beef, but it still retains that wonderful, comforting depth of flavour. I find it is the perfect meal for a cold winter’s day when you want something substantial and warming on the table. The combination of slow-cooked meats, tender chickpeas, and a variety of vegetables creates a truly satisfying dish that never fails to please. It really is a lovely way to enjoy a taste of traditional Spanish home cooking with your family and friends.

Spanish Pork Chicken Cocido

Servings: 4
Total time: 60 mins

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 300 g pork, cut into chunks
  • 1 chicken thigh
  • chorizo
  • strip pork belly
  • morcilla de cebolla (Spanish black pudding made with onions)
  • 1 ham bone
  • 1 white bone
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 white cabbage, shredded
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD

  1. Heat some oil in a pressure cooker and gently fry the onion until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes.
  3. Add the meat and bones (except chorizo or black pudding) and 2 litres of water.
  4. Season with salt and bring to the boil.
  5. Add the chickpeas, put on the lid and bring up to pressure.
  6. Cook for 30 minutes.
  7. Leave to cool.
  8. Open and add the shredded cabbage, chopped vegetables (parsnip, celery, leek, carrot, potato to the pressure cooker.
  9. Bring back up to pressure and cook for 30 minutes.
  10. Leave to cool.
  11. In a separate frying pan, fry the morcilla and chorizo.
  12. Serve.

NOTES

Cocido Madrileño is traditionally made with beef, chicken, pork belly, black pudding, chorizo and bones, For this non-traditional version, I used pork, chicken, chorizo and meat bones. Mercadona sell a chicken and pork pack for this type of stew that includes the meat and different types of bones that you need.

 

Pork stew

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Pork Stew
Serves 4
Print
Ingredients
  1. 500g pork, chunky pork ribs
  2. 1 onion, coarsely diced
  3. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  4. 1 large red pepper, coarsely diced
  5. 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
  6. chorizo, sliced
  7. 1 chilli pepper, sliced
  8. green beans, optional (it's just that they're in season at the moment)
  9. 500g butter beans, soaked for at least 48 hours
  10. 3 medium-sized potatoes, cut into pieces
  11. vegetable stock (1.5 litres of water and 2 stock cubes)
  12. salt and pepper
  13. olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat some olive oil in a pressure cooker.
  2. Gently fry the onion on a medium heat for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the red pepper and fry until soft.
  4. Add the sliced chorizo and fry until the onion and pepper have taken on the red oil released from the chorizo.
  5. Add the chopped garlic and stir well for a minute or so.
  6. Add the chopped tomato,
  7. Tur up the heat and stir until the tomato has reduced.
  8. Add the pork pieces, chilli, butter beans and potato and mix well.
  9. Add a teaspoon of salt and season with ground black pepper.
  10. Pour over the vegetable stock so that there is slightly more liquid than ingredients.
  11. Leave the pot uncovered and bring to the boil.
  12. Add more water if necessary.
  13. Cover and bring the pressure cooker up to the 2nd level of pressure.
  14. When the cooker is at pressure, time for 60 minutes.
  15. Serve with salad and garlic mayonnaise.
Notes
  1. If you prefer a thinner stew, use potato pieces.
  2. If you would like a thicker stew, coarsely grate 2 of the potatoes and cut the third one into pieces.
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Home-made chorizo

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Home-made chorizo

Home-made chorizo

Even though we didn’t have our own pork this year, I decided to make some chorizo. That way I would know exactly what goes into it and how much fat it contains. The recipe basically calls for 80% meat and 20% fat but as the pork belly I bought was very lean, the fat percentage was considerably higher. It is possible to make chorizo completely from scratch, adding your own spices and flavourings to the meat and fat mixture. However, as the climate on the coast is warmer and more humid than in the mountains, and not ideal for drying and curing meats, I wanted to be completely sure that there wouldn’t be a problem and we wouldn’t all be poisoned so used a ready-made chorizo mix call “Chorizol”. I then added more oregano, chilli pepper and chopped garlic.

INGREDIENTS:
4kg shoulder of pork
1kg belly pork, derinded
1 sachet chorizol
2 1/2 teaspoons chilli pepper
8 cloves garlic
handful oregano
hog casings

PROCEDURE:
Mince the meat and fat together. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Leave to mature in the fridge or a cool place for 24 hours.

Put the mixture into the casings. Shape into individual sausages.

Making chorizo sausage

Making chorizo sausage

Hang up to dry in a cool, airy place. The ideal temperature is between 10ºC and 13ºC. Leave to dry for 7 days. If the temperature is cool enough, you can store the chorizo outside the fridge but I decided to freeze it and take out use as needed. I also saved some of the fresh chorizo back and froze it without drying.

chorizo2

Pork Stew in a Pressure Cooker

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Pork Stew

Pork Stew

NOTE: If you are using dried butterbeans, you will have to soak them overnight. You can add any vegetable you have to this stew according to what’s in season (courgettes, carrots, aubergines, etc.).

NOTE: You should only start timing the stew once the pressure cooker has reached pressure.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6):
pork ribs, cut into pieces
4 or 5 medium potatoes: 2 grated, 3 cut into chunks
250g dried butter beans, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic
2 green peppers, roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
a pinch of chilli pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper
stock or water

Heat some oil in a large pressure cooker and fry first the onions, then the green peppers and then your other vegetables until soft. Add the tomatoes and fry for another couple of minutes and before adding the pork and potatoes. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

Cover well with water and bring to the boil. You will probably need about 1.2 – 1.5 litres of water/stock. The beans will absorb some of the water so it is important that you have enough liquid in the pan. If you bring the mixture to the boil before putting on the lid, you can see whether you need to any more liquid. Generally speaking, there needs to be about an inch of liquid above the level of the stew.

Cover the pan with the lid, engage the mechanism and bring to pressure.

Once the pan has reached pressure, cook for 30 minutes before turning off the gas.

You can either let it return to normal pressure or run it under the cold tap to lower the pressure quickly.

DO NOT OPEN THE LID UNTIL THERE IS NO LONGER ANY STEAM COMING FROM THE PAN.