Spanish Tapas: Beans a La Catalana Recipe

One of the things we particularly look forward to while traveling is sampling the local cuisine of the area we are visiting. During our stay in Barcelona, we discovered restaurant Taller De Tapas in the Born district. For its compact size, its menu was quite extensive, with many items to choose from.

Though neither of us is a huge beans fan, one of the dishes we decided to order was the “Garbanzos con espinacas frescas y pancetta iberica”, a popular bean dish served in Barcelona. These chickpeas with fresh spinach and Iberian pancetta, along with quite a few other tapa dishes were delicious! Plus, while we were waiting, an energetic group of street performers rushed into the courtyard and began a wonderful routine of acrobatic feats for the guests’ entertainment. Like a mini flash mob/circus, they were gone as quickly as they came in.

After returning home, we wanted to create our own version of Beans a la Catalana, with just a few adjustments due to the availability of certain ingredients here in the States. It is a relatively easy dish to prepare, and everything you need can be found at your local supermarket. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Here is what you need:

Ingredients

1 can of Great Northern White Beans (drained, not rinsed)

2-3 slices of bacon (we prefer thick-cut butcher style peppered bacon)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro

A pinch of dry sage (optional to sprinkle on bacon during cooking)

Salt and Pepper to taste

NOTE: We haven’t added spinach to it, as in the original dish, but don’t be shy & throw a couple of handfuls of spinach about half-way into cooking Beans a La Catalana. Cook it until moisture evaporates, and spinach is bright green. If using frozen spinach, squeeze all the water out of it before adding it to the pan.

HINT: Double the recipe — it makes great leftovers.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the bacon until almost done, and set aside one or two tbsp of the grease. After bacon cools, cut it into small bite-size pieces. Set aside

2. Preheat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of saved bacon grease.

3. Add chopped garlic, and sauté for one minute or so. 

4. Add the beans and gently stir them. Do not over stir! Beans can get mushy if they are stirred around too much.

(OPTIONAL STEP): This is where you’d add spinach.

5. Once most of the moisture from the beans has cooked off, throw in the bacon pieces, and incorporate them.

6. Add cilantro. 

7. Serve hot. 

Pretty easy, right? These Beans a La Catalana pair perfectly with this Chorizo al Vino, and these fresh Barcelonian-style Tomatoes. A few slices of toasted garlic baguette round this combo off nicely as well. 

Have a fantastic dinner! If you are a Spanish tapas aficionado, what are some of your favorites? Have you tried to make them at home? Please feel free to share. And you know that we love hearing from you, so comment below, and subscribe to our blog!

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