PORTUGUESE BEAN STEW (FEIJAO A PORTUGUESA)

Portuguese Bean Stew (Feijao a Portuguesa) image

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 pound dried navy or Great Northern beans, picked over
1 pound sliced bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 to 5 cups water
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 pound Portuguese chouri‧o or Spanish chorizo (cured spicy pork sausage), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon paprika

Steps:

Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches 8 hours.
Cook bacon in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Spoon off (and discard) all but about 3 tablespoons fat in pot. Cook onion in reserved fat over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn golden.
Drain beans and add to onion mixture with remaining ingredients (except bacon). Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Older beans will take longer to cook and require more water during cooking.) Crumble bacon into beans and season with salt and pepper before serving.