Pochas a la navarra – fresh white beans from Navarra
Pochas are fresh white beans picked at the end of summer, cooked slowly with vegetables and a good glug of olive oil until the broth thickens. In Navarra they are eaten with pickled guindilla peppers; out of season frozen pochas work well, and some cook them with quail or chorizo.
- 1 h 17Time
- 22 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 21 gprotein per portion
- 520kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 800 gPochas (fresh white beans), shelled or frozen
- 1Yellow onion, peeled
- 1Italian green pepper, deseeded
- 1Tomato, ripe
- 2 clovesGarlic, peeled
- 4 tbspOlive oil
- ≈ 1.2 lWater, cold
- to tasteSalt
On the side
- 12Pickled guindilla peppers (piparras)
- 200 gBread
Method
- Put the pochas in a pot with the whole onion, pepper, tomato and garlic cloves and the oil. Pour in the cold water to cover by a couple of centimetres.
- Bring to the boil over a medium heat and skim off the foam that rises.
- Lower the heat and simmer the beans gently, half covered, for about 40 minutes, until tender. Don't stir: shake the pot now and then, and add a splash of cold water if the broth runs low.
- Lift out the vegetables and blend them smooth with a ladle of broth. Return the purée to the pot and season with salt.
- Simmer gently for 5 minutes, shaking the pot so the broth thickens.
- Take the pot off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve the pochas in deep plates with the pickled guindillas and bread.
