Has this ever happened to you? I left work today knowing I had chicken in the fridge to roast for dinner. Great! Dinner’s covered, right? Not exactly. Even though I had planned today’s meal, I was in the mood for something else. I wasn’t sure what that was. I was only sure that it wasn’t roasted chicken. As I left the office, it hit me (figuratively)! I was in the mood for portuguese fava bean, chouriço and egg stew–the way my mom used to make it when I lived in the Azores.
There were only three problems. I’d never made this meal, it wasn’t in the hand written recipe notebook my mom left me and I didn’t have all of the ingredients at home. This was a problem I solved quickly. First I made a quick call to mom for instructions. She’s always thrilled to know I’m making another one of her dishes. She gave me the list of items I would need and explained the process. The bonus… it’s a one-pot meal! Then I stopped at one of our local grocery stores to stock up on some of the ingredients I was missing.
Once I got home, I still prepped the chicken and threw it in the oven for roasting. Liz has explained in past posts that she and the kids “know what they like” (aka, they are very picky), so fava beans were a no-go with her and the kids. I still needed the chicken as a second dish. I wasn’t in the mood for chicken but it was no big deal to make it for them. I was still going to have a great traditional meal that would fill my tummy and my soul.
Although the stew took some time to finish, it took very little effort. The result was fantastic. The scent in the house brought me back to my teenage years in the Azores. I love everything about this meal, but perhaps the best element for me is the slow cooked egg in the delicious broth. Oh… and don’t forget the crusty bread. This meal has some incredible sauce that’s just asking to be soaked up.
Reminisce a little, get in the kitchen and cook something that fills your soul. And eat well, friends!
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 package Portuguese chouriço (.74 lbs or .334 kg), cut in half wheels
- 3 oz or 85 g thick smoked bacon (pancetta or toucinho), cut in small pieces. I used the spicy one, but the sweet version will work just fine
- 1 small can tomato paste (5.5 fl oz or 156 ml)
- 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 2½ lbs frozen broad beans or fava beans
- 5½ cups of water
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 large eggs
- In a colander, rinse the fava beans in cold water and set aside.
- Set a large pot on the stove on medium high.
- Heat the olive oil.
- Add the onions and sauté for about a minute and then add the garlic.
- Sauté for another two minutes.
- Add the sliced chouriço and smoked bacon.
- Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes until the chouriço starts to brown slightly.
- Add the tomato paste, vinegar, cinnamon allspice and one tsp of salt, and stir well.
- Add the fava beans and water to the pot.
- Let the mixture reach a boil, reduce to medium.
- Taste a little bit of the broth. Depending on the chouriço you used, the flavour may or may not have enough salt. If needed, add some or all of the remaining tsp of salt.
- Cover and let cook for 45 minutes.
- Uncover.
- Crack an egg over the pot and slowly pour the egg onto the mixture, being careful to deposit the egg in one small spot. The egg will boil in the spot where you place it.
- Repeat the last step for the remaining eggs, leaving a bit of space between each egg.
- Cover and cook for an additional 12 minutes.
- Uncover, shut off the stove and serve hot. Make sure everyone gets an egg! Enjoy!
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