Botifarra amb mongetes

Botifarra amb mongetes is a classic Catalan dish of sausage with white beans – though they are a particular kind of bean that is quite long and cylindrical. Not much to report in terms of a recipe: grill sausages of your choosing (I used a 97% pork sausage that was lovely and meaty and I think are most like Catalan sausages) and boil your beans. I found a jar of these boiled beans at a local shop; they were a Spanish brand and were definitely mongetes, as Blai confirmed, but any other white bean would be a good substitute. And eat the beans with lots of extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top!

Swiss Chard

We had bledes (Swiss chard) on the side, you know, for health reasons. Gotta eat our veggies! Anyway, I made them in a sort of Spanish style, using some of that lovely pimentón, the smoked paprika from La Vera. Now for this dish I can provide a recipe.

Spanish-Style Swiss Chard
adapted from Food and Wine magazine
serves 2.

a large bunch of Swiss chard
extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
1/4 – 1/2 tsp Pimentón de la Vera
1/4 cup chopped canned tomatoes (optional)
1 tsp sherry vinegar
salt and pepper

Slice up the entire bunch of chard, both stalks and leaves, and clean it all thoroughly. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the chard until tender. Drain and press out excess water.

In a pan, heat up a good swirl of olive oil and fry the garlic slices until golden. Add the pimentón and tomatoes (if using) and cook for a few minutes (less time if just using the pimentón). Add the Swiss chard and stir thoroughly, adding a little water if it’s all looking too dry. When the chard has been heated through, add the sherry vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

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