Alubias de Tolosa
Editor's Note: This recipe, introductory text, and author's tips are excerpted from Marina Chang's book Tastes of the Pyrenees, Classic and Modern. We've also added some tips of our own below.
For a complete guide to Basque cuisine, click here.
Beans have long been an important diet component from Asturias (fabada asturiana) to Toulouse (cassoulet). They are easily stored and in centuries past could enable a rural family to eat well during winter. Tolosa is a Basque town in Guipúzcoa, Spain, near the French border and San Sebastián. Known for manufacturing the familiar Basque berets, on Saturdays it also hosts a colorful farmers' market in the village square where visitors can sample local produce. Red beans of Tolosa are often referred to as black beans, and their cultivation is concentrated primarily in Guipúzcoa. The Basque consider this bean variety to be the best tasting that can be had. Tolosa has long been famous for its stews made of these local red beans. Periodically, the area's chefs have contests to vie for the recognition of preparing the best. As with many widely made classic dishes, the recipe for alubias de Tolosa will vary with each Basque cook; however, this version is fairly representative. The town of Gernika also lays claim to having outstanding beans for this recipe. This dish is often served with pickled guindillas, a pencil-thin, regional, spicy green pepper.
• Morcilla cebolla (also called morcilla negra), a blood sausage from the Basque country, is available at spanishtable.com. Other types of blood sausage can be substituted, although varieties from the Caribbean will be very spicy, which is not ideal for this stew. If you cannot find blood sausage, substitute any artisanal sausage, especially one made with duck. • Add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water to make the beans more tender. • To avoid a bitter flavor in the finished dish, remove the germ of the garlic (the green sprout sometimes found in the middle) before you chop the cloves.
