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A bowl of Spanish stew with blood sausage.

Spanish Stew with Blood Sausage and White Beans | Cocido Español con Morcilla

Byron
Spanish Stew with blood sausage is a twist on classic Spanish stew recipes that are always loaded with layers of flavor and fresh ingredients. We use Spanish Morcilla sausage (a type of blood sausage) and fry it with some Spanish pancetta iberica. Then we sauté a few simple vegetables, add a little smoked paprika, and add some fresh chili for a little heat.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course, meat, one pot recipe, stew
Cuisine Mediterranean, Spain
Servings 8 Main
Calories 423 kcal

Equipment

  • 12 inch cast iron skillet
  • Large pot with lid (for the broth)
  • Box grater
  • Wooden cutting board
  • Chef knife

Ingredients

  • 21 oz. 600g morcilla (blood sausage)
  • 3.5 oz. 100g pancetta, diced (we used Spanish Panceta Iberico)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2-3 sticks of celery
  • 2 potatoes cubed
  • 2 medium tomatoes grated and skin removed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika optional for a more smoky flavor
  • 1 fresh chili seeds and stew removed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1- liter Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth or veg stock
  • 14 oz. 400g jar White beans (we used a can of cooked Cannellini beans)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Step 1 - Prepare ingredients

  • Dice the onion and celery.
    1 onion, 2-3 sticks of celery
  • Loosely chop the potatoes.
    2 potatoes
  • Mince the garlic and grate the tomatoes (discard the tomato skins)
    4 garlic cloves, 2 medium tomatoes
  • Cut the pancetta into small chunks around 1/8th inch (half a cm)
    3.5 oz. 100g pancetta, diced (we used Spanish Panceta Iberico)
  • Cut the morcilla sausage into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. Alternatively, you can strip the morcilla skin and just use the minced filling inside).
    21 oz. 600g morcilla (blood sausage)

Step 2 - Prepare broth, pancetta, and morcilla sausage

  • Warm 1 liter of vegetable or chicken broth in a large pot. Set aside and keep warm.
    1- liter Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the diced pancetta until it releases some of its oil (around 3-4 minutes on high heat).
    Extra virgin olive oil
  • Reduce heat to medium then add the chunks of morcilla (blood sausage). Fry for around 4 minutes. Don’t worry if the morcilla begins to break apart while cooking, it will fall apart more in the stew in any case.
  • Remove morcilla and pancetta from pan and give the pan a little scrape to release some of the flavor from the bottom.

Step 3 - Saute Veg

  • On medium-high heat, saute the onions for 4-5 minutes or until golden.
  • Add the celery and garlic and continue to saute for another 3-4 minutes on until the celery softens.
  • Add the potatoes and grated tomatoes and stir through. If pan is dry, add a splash of water or stock.
  • Season lightly with a little salt and pepper to taste and leave to cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Salt and pepper

Step 4 - Add broth, beans, and morcilla

  • Add the broth, the smoked paprika, fresh chili, and bay leaves and stir through.
    1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 fresh chili, 2 bay leaves
  • Reduce heat to medium and leave everything to simmer for around 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (check you can pierce the potatoes with a knife before moving onto the next step).
  • Add the cooked morcilla sausage, pancetta, and cooked white beans. Stir through and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
    14 oz. 400g jar White beans (we used a can of cooked Cannellini beans)

Step 5 - Serve

  • Remove the bay leaves before serving.
  • Ladle into bowl and serve while hot with lots of fresh bread.

Notes

Cooking Tips: 

🥕 Use a good quality stock or broth: Veggie stock or meat stock both work well for this stew recipe. Just check the sodium content of any store-bought stocks or broths. Use a low-sodium version wherever possible. 
Pancetta or bacon? If you can’t source pancetta, use thick-cut smoky bacon for a similar flavor and texture. 
Use uncooked (raw) Morcilla: Spanish blood sausage requires cooking before it can be consumed. It is soft the inside of the sausage is similar to ground meat that you find in normal sausages. If unsure, speak to your local butcher and ask them to source some fresh morcilla or blood sausage.
Keyword 45-minute recipe, bean stew, blood sausage, cocido, easy stew, morcilla, pancetta, pancetta iberica, Pork stew, white beans