Tolosa beans, or ‘alubias’ are one of our town’s greatest gastronomic treasures. The Tolosa bean fair will take place this year from November 14-17, when both the producer of the best bean will be named, as will the couple deemed to present the best dish prepared using the same winning bean of the year. The bean fair will in turn be accompanied by the Euskal Jaia Basque festivities.
You can find the whole programme by clicking here; but first, with this article we want to help you to meet one of the greatest challenges of this special day: how to make Tolosa beans? We’ll give you the recipe and tips for making this fabulous dish, guided by Tolosa’s Imanol Zubelzu:
The first thing to take into account is the best guarded secret: the black pearl. The Tolosa bean differs greatly from others in shape, colour, sheen and consistency. Many wonder if the black beans come from this year’s crop: normally the crop is finished every year, meaning that the tendency is for those we buy to have been produced in the same year.
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It’s important to know if the Tolosa bean was grown this year because if it was, it doesn’t have to be soaked before cooking.
Once you have your beans, place them in a large pan with a dash of oil and plenty of water. Four litres of water for every kilo of beans. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and leave the beans to cook slowly (you can also cook them in a pressure cooker, but we recommend doing it the traditional way). Important: salt must be added at the end, not at the beginning, as otherwise the beans may break.
You will have to cook the beans on a low heat for approximately 4 hours, although the amount of time needed is rather relative. If you need to stir them, it is advisable to use wooden spoon so as not to break the skin of the beans, but it’s better if you just give the pan a little shake.
When the beans are ready, add the salt and leave them to settle so that the sauce will thicken. If you think there’s too much liquid, remove a little and keep it aside in case you need it later (if the beans turn out to be too dry).
The accompaniments
Beans are the star product, but equally so are the ‘sacraments’ served with the dish: cabbage, pork meat or ribs, guindilla peppers from Ibarra and vegetable pudding. Here are a few tips for a perfect result:
For the cabbage: although it is traditionally boiled, Imanol recommends that you sauté it. Having removed the hard part of the cabbage, cut it into fine strips and sauté in a frying pan with garlic. The tip? Start sautéeing the cabbage when the garlic begins to “dance” in the olive oil.
For the vegetable pudding: another element which is traditionally boiled, Imanol recommends that you never let the water come to the boil.
The bean fair
This weekend will be a perfect occasion to discover, taste and learn about the Tolosa bean. With a special fair, gastronomic competitions, talks and heaps of music, this will be a day to have lots of fun. You can find full information about the programme on the Tolosa Turismoa Facebook page (by clicking here).
