598. BROAD BEANS with BLOOD SAUSAGE and BACON

serves 4


1 1/4 lb. shelled fresh broad beans (about 2 lb. unshelled) or 1 lb. dried beans or 10-oz. packages frozen broad beans (see note)
8 oz. thick-cut bacon, with 1 thick slice cut from it and the remainder diced
2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
olive oil
2 botifarra negra sausages (see note), 1 cut into 1/2-inch slices and 1 left whole
1 teaspoon Pernod
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh mint, finely chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon dried mint
a pinch of sugar
salt

If you are using dried broad beans, cover with 32 fl. oz. water in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer until almost tender (about 40-50 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a cassola or flameproof casserole, saute the diced bacon and spring onions in 8 fl. oz. of oil until lightly browned.

Add the sliced botifarra negra and broad beans to the cassola, mix well, then saute 2-3 minutes.

Add the Pernod, bay leaf, mint, sugar, bacon slice and the whole batifarra negra to the cassola and salt to taste. Stir well.

Add about 8 fl. oz. of water, or enough barely to cover the broad beans; cover the cassola, bring to a boil, lower the heat and continue to cook until the broad beans are tender and greyish-green in color and the water has evaporated (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove the bacon slice and whole botifarra negra. Cut each into 4 pieces, then divide the broad beans evenly among 4 plates and garnish each with a piece of bacon and a piece of botifarra negra.

NOTE: If you are using large fresh broad beans, blanch them after shelling in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, cool and remove the tough outer skins. Many cookbooks suggest lima beans as a substitute for broad beans. Though they're about the same size, shape and color, they are very different in flavor and texture, and I don't recommend such a substitution unless it is absolutely necessary.

BOTIFARRA NEGRA: This "black botifarra is blood sausage or black pudding - made with bread soaked in pig's blood. It differs from boudin noir, the French blood sausage, in that it is somewhat coarser, with a slightly higher fat content, and more mildly seasoned. The French variety, available at some charcuteries or specialty delis, is a reasonable substitute, though - as is morcilla, the traditional Spanish blood sausage, which may be found at Spanish delis. Use the variety without rice, though, if possible.


courtesy of: Catalan Cuisine: Europe's Last Great Culinary Secret, by Colman Andrews. London: Grub Street, 1997, pp. 63-64