Level: Executive Chef

Michirones cartageneros.

I already spoke to you once about the michirones cartageneros, but very above, today I am going to deepen on its history and elaboration. Of peculiar name, the michirones are a typical vegetable stew of the Murcian orchard, of the Campo de Cartagena and also of the Vega Baja alicantina, extending its tradition to the nearest neighboring lands of Almeria and Albacete, as it happens with other border dishes like the atascaburras. Generally elaborated with a type of large and fleshy dry bean, it is usually served as a tapas or portion to share, often to be eaten by poking the legume with chopsticks, without missing the bread to dip the succulent broth of paprika and bay leaf. The broad bean to prepare the michirones is not very easy to find outside the mentioned lands, although it can also be cooked with the fresh broad bean that we use in the broad beans with ham, if it is in season, or its frozen version, more present in many supermarkets throughout the country. In these cases we will also save the soaking, because the michirón requires 48 hours of soaking. Otherwise it is not a complicated dish at all, faithful reflection of its humble origin and that in each home it is given a particular touch. What cannot be missing is the fresh sweet chorizo, bay leaf and Murcian paprika – obviously, La Vera paprika can be used – with its spicy touch, sometimes by means of cayenne or chilli peppers. The stew is enriched with a ham bone and, often, bacon or pancetta. To enrich the preparation even more, it is customary to add a good bit of sobrasada; it is optional but highly recommended if we have this product at that moment at home. Some people add potatoes to make it a more complete dish, but this is not the custom. If the broad bean is very hard, some diners prefer to eat them discarding the skin.

Ingredients:

For 4 persons

Dried broad beans 500 g

Ham bone or tip1

Fresh chorizo2

Bacon with meat (small, optional)1

Sobrasada a small piece

Head of garlic1

Bay leaves (or 3 if they are small leaves)2

Cayenne (optional)1

Sweet paprika

Hot paprika

Ground black pepper

Salt

The dried beans should be soaked for 48 hours, changing the water a couple of times in the process. If they are fresh, there is no need to soak them. The more soaking, the more tender they will be and the faster they will cook. Once soaked and drained, put the beans in a large pot with the bay leaf. Add the whole or chopped ham bone, the chorizos cut in rather thick slices, the bacon or bacon, and the head of garlic cut in half, peeled only in the outermost and loose layers. Add the cayenne (if you want it spicier), a generous teaspoon of sweet paprika and a little spicy, to taste. If sobrasada is added, reduce the amount of paprika, season lightly with salt and pepper – especially watch the amount of salt, it can be corrected at the end – and add enough water to cover them a couple of fingers. Heat, bring to the boil and cook over high heat for 10-15 minutes, skimming off any foam that may come out. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for two to three hours. The final time will depend on the soaking time of the beans, their age and the hardness of the water. Move the pot from the handles, not using a spoon so as not to break the beans too much. Taste and adjust salt at the end. If they have too much broth, cook a few more minutes over high heat with the pot uncovered. It should not be excessively brothy, although it goes a little in tastes.

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