Comforting Chorizo Sausage and Bean Stew

We had some cold rainy days here, and all I craved was some Comforting Chorizo Sausage and Bean Stew. It’s easy to make and it’s perfect for leftovers or meal prep.

You can make this stew in a million ways, with the ingredients you most love. You don’t have to stick to my recipe. And you can make a big batch of it and freeze it for when you’re not in the mood of cooking. I usually cook the beans separately for a few minutes, and I freeze half of it for another time. That’s my kind of meal prep.

You can make this stew vegetarian, by skipping all the meat ingredients and maybe adding some chickpeas instead. It will be just as delicious and hearty.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of white beans
• 30 g of chorizo sausage
• 30 g of bacon
• 2 slices of bacon without meat, just the fat, plus the rind
• one onion
• one bell pepper
• 3 medium size carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 small bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons of bouillion, or use salt instead
• pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons of tomato puree
• a few sprigs of tarragon
• vinegar

When you are making this dish, you have to start the day before. Wash the beans and let them soak until the next day. You can make this with tinned beans as well but it won’t be the same. Everything has to cook for at least 45 minutes for the flavor to really develop, and the cooked beans would fall apart.

Wash the tarragon leaves, let them dry for one hour, then add the leaves into a small jar. Pour vinegar on top and let it sit in the fridge overnight. If you don’t have tarragon, you can skip this step. But you can make a whole jar with pickled tarragon and use it in stews.

It gives an amazing flavor that you don’t get it from anything else really. And it stays in the fridge for months and months. I think that the tarragon, the more it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes.

For me, tarragon reminds me of my childhood when my mom used to pickle it every year and I would eat it straight out of the jar until my lips would turn blue.   😀 Maybe that’s why I like it so much. But it really is an excellent herb, you should give it a try if you see it at the grocery store.

The next day, prepare the meat and the veggies. Cut the meat into bite size pieces. Chop the veggies and slice the carrots.

Into a pot add the soaked beans and water to cover them and cook for 15 minutes. Collect the foam that floats on top and discard it.  After 15 minutes of boiling, discard the water and let the beans aside.

I do this step because I think that by cooking the beans twice, the chances of having gas after eating this meal are minimum. Maybe you think that this stew takes some time to prepare. Maybe it does a bit, but I promise you, it’s all worth it. And tomorrow it will taste even better.

Saute the veggies and the meat together on medium heat for 10-15 minutes without any oil. I don’t use any oil in this recipe, because of all the meat. The fat will render out and season the dish without having to add any additional oil.

After this 10-15 minutes, season with the bouillion, pepper, bay leaves, and the smoked paprika. Saute the paprika a few seconds, being careful not to burn it. After a few seconds, you can add the water and the beans. Pour in the tomato puree and bring the stew to a boil. When it starts boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 45 minutes, or until the beans are cooked through.

In the end, you can chop some pickled tarragon (I used 1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon+ 1 teaspoon of the vinegar) and add it to the stew. Those quantities are more than enough to season the stew. Be careful not to add too much, because tarragon has a pretty strong flavor.

Serve hot with pickled peppers and a good bread.

Comforting Chorizo Sausage and Bean Stew

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 500 g of white beans
• 30 g of chorizo sausage
• 30 g of bacon
• 2 slices of bacon without meat, just the fat, plus the rind
• one onion
• one bell pepper
• 3 medium size carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 small bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons of bouillion, or use salt instead
• pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons of tomato puree
• a few sprigs of tarragon
• vinegar

Instructions

1. When you are making this dish, you have to start the day before. Wash the beans and let them soak until the next day. You can make this with tinned beans as well but it won't be the same. Everything has to cook for at least 45 minutes for the flavor to really develop, and the cooked beans would fall apart.
2. Wash the tarragon leaves, let them dry for one hour, then add the leaves into a small jar. Pour vinegar on top and let it sit in the fridge overnight. If you don't have tarragon, you can skip this step. But you can make a whole jar with pickled tarragon and use it in stews.
3. The next day, prepare the meat and the veggies. Cut the meat into bite size pieces. Chop the veggies and slice the carrots.
4. Into a pot add the soaked beans and water to cover them and cook for 15 minutes. Collect the foam that floats on top and discard it.  After 15 minutes of boiling, discard the water and let the beans aside.
5. I do this step because I think that by cooking the beans twice, the chances of having gas after eating this meal are minimum. Maybe you think that this stew takes some time to prepare. Maybe it does a bit, but I promise you, it's all worth it. And tomorrow it will taste even better.
6. Saute the veggies and the meat together on medium heat for 10-15 minutes without any oil. I don't use any oil in this recipe, because of all the meat. The fat will render out and season the dish without having to add any additional oil.
7. After this 10-15 minutes, season with the bouillion, pepper, bay leaves, and the smoked paprika. Saute the paprika a few seconds, being careful not to burn it. After a few seconds, you can add the water and the beans. Pour in the tomato puree and bring the stew to a boil. When it starts boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 45 minutes, or until the beans are cooked through.
8. In the end, you can chop some pickled tarragon (I used 1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon+ 1 teaspoon of the vinegar) and add it to the stew. Those quantities are more than enough to season the stew. Be careful not to add too much, because tarragon has a pretty strong flavor.
9. Serve hot with pickled peppers and a good bread.

Have you made any of my recipes? Please tag me on Instagram with the tag #booksandlavender because I would love to see your creations.

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