
Spanish tapa beans
soaking time 12 hours or overnight, preparation time 30 minutes
low 9-10 hours, high 4-5 hours
6

Sherry has been much maligned as a grandmother's drink, bought by the flagon and kept in the hall cupboard only to find the light of day at Christmas in the trifle! But a delicious dry fine sherry, well chilled, gives you a small but significant taste of Spain, and such exquisite vino deserves a good nibble to accompany it at any time of the year, like these beans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried haricot or small lima beans
- ½ cup olive oil, virgin olive oil is nice here
- 200 grams salami, thinly sliced
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut into eighths
- 2 green capsicums, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½-1 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup dry sherry
Method
- Cover the beans with 3 times the amount of water to beans. Cover and set aside for 12 hours or overnight. Drain well.
- Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
- Heat a dash of oil in a heavy-based frying-pan and, when hot, pan-fry the salami until the fat runs and the slices become slightly crispy around the edges. Set aside.
- Add the onions and capsicums to the pan with the residue fat from the cooking of the salami and cook the vegetables until browned.
- Into the pre-warmed slow cooker put the well-drained beans, olive oil, salami, onions, capsicums, garlic, saffron, oregano, bay leaf, stock and sherry. Stir well to mix the ingredients evenly and cover with the lid.
- Cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, or until the beans are tender.
- Serve in tapa or other individual shallow dishes with plenty of warm bread to soak up the juice.
Cooks Tips
Variations - Add a cup of halved, stuffed green olives. - Add extra flavour with a bouquet garni. - Add 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika with the saffron. - In place of salami, use 200 grams thinly sliced bacon or pork belly. - Vary the beans - try borlotti or cannellini beans. - Stir in 12-20 semi or sun-dried tomato halves before serving.
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