Judias Blancas A Lo Tio Lucas (Uncle Luke’s mildly spicy beans)

Judias Blancas A Lo Tio Lucas with the Huevos A La Flamenca
500g/1lb dried haricot beans
150g/5oz bacon or ham
2tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2tsp paprika
1tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch of ground cloves
1tbsp finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Soak the beans for 1 hour in boiling water, or over night in cold water.
Cut the fat off the meat, and fry it with the onion and olive oil for 10 min. Add the lean meat chopped into the size of small soup croutons, then the garlic. Drain the beans and add them with the remaining ingredients, and enough water to cover them well. Simmer for 1&1/4 – 1& 1/2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure they don’t dry out.

From “Recipes From A Spanish Village”

These smelled wonderful, but did not blow me away. The liquid was really tasty, but I think it could have used another hour or so of cooking. The beans were still a little hard and they hadn’t absorbed enough of the flavor. I’m going to let the leftovers sit in the fridge for a couple of days, and then cook some more. I think they’ll be good after that.