Fabes with octopus

How to make octopus fabes . Today we are going to prepare an Asturian legume recipe , with beans. Some fabes with octopus to take off the hat.

And it is that the use of fabes and verdinas in Asturias is not reduced to the traditional fabada , but goes much further. Fabes with clams , delicious fabes with prawns  , special fabes with spider crab or the traditional Asturian pot , are part of the repertoire that we can find in any Asturian restaurant.

Asturians know how no one can value their products. Its extensive variety of cheeses with Cabrales at the head, the cider that although it is difficult to find outside the community, and of course the fabes, are its hallmarks within and outside its borders.

Whether it is with farm beans or simply those that we can buy more economically in any supermarket, today’s recipe will make you enjoy it for sure.

It is a spoon stew in which a product from the garden is fantastically combined, the beans with the king of the sea, the octopus . The result will be a classy finger-licking dish.

We cook the octopus

1. We start preparing the octopus, in this article on how to cook octopus you have all the secrets to make it perfect for you.
2. For this, if we have bought it alive, it is necessary to soften it. We must freeze the octopus 48 hours before its preparation. The day we plan to prepare this dish, we must take the precaution of defrosting it by leaving it out of the freezer the night before.
3. In the same way we must leave the beans to soak to hydrate, covered with water, from one day to the next.
4. We wash the octopus well under a stream of cold water, until it is very clean. In a large saucepan, heat ½ liter of water and, when it is boiling, it is time to add the octopus.
5. To introduce it into the saucepan we must scare it, that is, introduce and remove the octopus from the boiling water three times. This way we get the minimum skinning during cooking.
6. We cook the octopus about 25 or 30 minutes, calculating a medium octopus, about 2 kilos. We turn off the heat and let the octopus rest in its own water, without removing it from the pot for about 20 minutes.

Preparation of the beans with octopus

1. While the octopus rests in the cooking water, heat a splash of oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, red and green peppers and 2 cloves of garlic, all cut into small cubes.
2. Salt to taste and fry the vegetables for 15 or 20 minutes, until they are very soft.
3. Add the peeled and diced tomato and continue cooking the vegetables for 10 more minutes. We salted and reserved.
4. In an express pot add the hydrated beans or beans, 3 garlic cloves and the bay leaf. We cover with the already cold octopus cooking water. We cook for 13 or 14 minutes from the moment the valve starts working.
5. If we use a traditional casserole to cook the beans, we must let them cook for 1 hour, until they are tender. Depending on the type of fabes we use, this time will be greater or less.
6. If necessary we rectify salt.
7. Once we have the cooked beans, we open the express pot and add the vegetable sauce that we have reserved. We mix carefully to integrate the flavors. We cut the octopus into slices with scissors and add it to the casserole.

We serve this great and complete dish, with no other accompaniment than a good piece of bread. It is a very complete dish that could perfectly serve as a single dish. A delicious delicacy.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album of this recipe for  fabes with octopus.

Tips for some yummy fabes

• Although it is a simple recipe, there are certain steps that we must be clear about. A good cooking of the octopus, to ensure that it arrives whole, without skinning its skin, but at the same time that it is very tender, is one of the keys to this dish.
• On the other hand, the beans, the better their quality, the better the result. Creamy and smooth farm beans, or Lourenzá beans, will be perfect for this dish. Now, if we do not have any of these varieties, I assure you that you will be left with a rich and classy dish anyway.
• We must leave the octopus to thaw from the night before and the beans to soak for about 8 hours. We will cook the octopus in its point so that it remains full-bodied when it is added to the wonderful stew of beans.