Alubias de Tolosa

Alubias de Tolosa
Originally uploaded by tim wright.

During the English winter I really enjoy black peas, especially on bonfire night. Alubias remind me of black peas a little bit, but only a little bit.

Another feature of Alubias de Tolosa that reminds me of home is black pudding, a basque speciality and also a speciality of north west England where I'm from.

Does this sound like a promising combination? To a lot of people it won't but hang on and wait for the recipe.

WARNING!!!

This is one you'll struggle to find the right ingredients for so maybe it is one to try in a restaurant over here, although I once found a jar of Alubias de Tolosa in Harvey Nick's food hall for about fifteen pounds (not a bargain).

This recipe for alubias comes from Roberto Ruiz, chef of the Fronton Beotibar in Tolosa itself.

Ingredients

1 kilogram alubias de Tolosa soaked in water overnight then drained
4-5 liters water
Salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion
1.5 kilograms pork ribs
3 black puddings (ones with onion are nicest)
guindillas de Ibarra (pickled green peppers)
1 cabbage

Method

Alubias

Put the alubias in an earthenware dish with cold water. Add oil and the onion and heat to boiling on the hob. Add a little more cold water to stop the beans from boiling and cook slowly over a low heat occasionally adding another glass of water if necessary. Halfway through heat some oil in a deep frying pan, fry the garlic cloves until golden and then remove them. Add the chopped onion. After the onion browns, add the beans from the earthernware dish. When the cooking is finished, which takes around 4 to 5 hours, add salt and let the beans rest a half hour

Accompaniment

Finely chop ther cabbage, and put it in to cook with the ribs on a hot ring for two hours. Season with salt and set aside. Prick the black puddings and cook for around 15 mins.

To Serve

Place the cabbage, well drained, in the center of a large serving dish. Cover with alubias and arrange the ribs and black pudding around it. Serve the guindillas on a side plate to be chopped and added to the beans as desired.