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Michirones
Broad beans with chorizo and ham
Michirones: dried broad beans stewed with chorizo, ham bone and a kick of chilli
Michirones are dried broad beans slowly simmered with pork, bay and hot chilli until soft and spicy, and in Murcia they are the tapa of cold months, ladled into small bowls in the city's bars with a spoon stuck in. The beans need a long soak and a long cook, so bars make a big pot in the morning that lasts all day. This contains pork (chorizo, panceta and a cured ham bone). Chef's tip: wait until the end to add salt, because the ham bone and chorizo season the broth as they cook.
- Total time
- 195 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb dried whole broad beanssoaked 24–48 hours in cold water, changed twice
- 1 cured ham bone or ham hock endabout 300 g
- 5 ½ oz cooking chorizoin thick slices
- 3 ½ oz panceta or pork bellyin chunks
- 1 head garlicwhole, outer papery skin rubbed off
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 ½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 1 ⅛ lb dried whole broad beans. Put them in a large pot with the 1 cured ham bone or ham hock end, 3 ½ oz panceta or pork belly, whole 1 head garlic, 2 bay leaves, 2 dried hot chillies (guindillas) and the cold 10 ½ cups water.
5 minStep 2: Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer very gently for 2 hours, topping up with hot water if the level drops below the beans.
120 minStep 3: Warm the 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan, take it off the heat and stir in the 1 tsp sweet paprika for a few seconds, then pour it into the pot with the 5 ½ oz cooking chorizo.
3 minStep 4: Simmer for another 45–60 minutes until the beans are completely soft and creamy inside and the broth has turned thick and red. A common mistake is not soaking long enough: the skins stay leathery however long they cook.
55 minStep 5: Lift out the ham bone, pick off any meat and return it to the pot. The pork pieces should be tender and well over 160°F after this long simmer. Taste and add 1 tsp salt only if needed.
5 minStep 6: Serve hot in small bowls with bread. Michirones are even better reheated the next day.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 16 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does michirones take?
- About 195 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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