Portuguese White Beans

A flavourful Portuguese meal of navy beans slow-cooked with bacon and sausage.



2 1/2 cups dry navy beans, washed and sorted
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 pound chorizo or linguica, sliced
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
2 bay leaves
3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1-2 cups water
Salt

Place the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans well. Place them in a crockpot. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp and has released all of its fat, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Using a spoon, remove any excess fat from the pan, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons only. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 4 minutes. Place mixture into the crockpot with the beans. Add the tomato paste, paprika, bay leaves, and broth. Cook on high until beans are soft and sauce is no longer watery, about 8-9 hours. Add water at any time if you find the sauce is too thick. Season with salt, to taste. Let sit covered for 15 minutes before serving.
 

The original recipe was not for the crockpot, but I've adapted it to be slow-cooked here. If you don't want to use the slow-cooker, you can find the original recipe here: Portuguese White Beans Recipe. I found it called for an awful lot of liquid, so I cut it down a bit to make it less of a soup and more like baked beans. You can always adjust the liquid to your liking; the recipe is fairly flexible that way. 
 
Tony's mother was Portuguese, so I've decided to begin incorporating that part of our family's heritage into our food. This was the first Portuguese dish that I've tried, and it was very popular with everyone in the family, even Cole. He said to me 'Mommy, you can make this again if you want.' Thanks Cole, thanks for giving me permission. I think I'll take you up on that.