Beans and rice were a staple in our home, handed down from my grandparents who immigrated from Spain. My maternal grandfather ate rice and/or beans almost every day. Many of the recipes handed down by my grandmother include beans.
The most used beans in our home were black beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), fabes, and white navy beans. After marrying my wife, who is Mexican-American, I have added pinto beans to my love of all the delicious members of the legume family.
Black beans, specifically black bean soup, were eaten year round but it was a staple at our Christmas Eve dinner. I can’t remember a Christmas Eve, where I didn’t have them along with our roast pork, yuca and platanos (plantains). If you ask any Spaniard or Cuban their black bean soup recipe you’ll find a variety of ways they are cooked. I use my mother’s recipe that doesn’t include meat and are always a hit with family and company.
We use garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in a delicious Spanish Bean Soup that is spiced up with chorizos, smoked ham, potatoes and some saffron. I also love my grandmother’s garbanzos fritos, a quick, inexpensive, delicious and hearty meal served with steamed white rice. I will be sharing some of these recipes in the near future.
Fabes are beans I can only find in Spain or from specialty websites like latienda.com. If you can’t find them you can substitute with great northern beans. These beans are used in the popular Asturiana dish, Fabada. This is a hearty soup that can be served as a main meal. Hearty soups like this that include meat and potatoes are called potajes (po-tah-hez). But make no mistake, I have served this in a cup as a first course in meals that I have prepared for company. While most people love these soups during cold days, I can eat soup any day of the year. You will find a variety of ways to cook this soup. My recipe, again, is from my maternal grandmother.
Beans are a great source of protein and can be cooked in so many ways. I look forward to sharing many recipes that include this hearty and healthy product.