Madrid, 18 December 2023
After cooking a lighter dish from Spanish at Home that brought me back to the coast near Barcelona, I found myself flipping through the book again, looking for something a little more grounded. So I chose a pork dish.
Pork is everywhere in Spain. You notice it almost immediately. It’s hanging in market stalls, layered into sandwiches, served in small plates, and worked into so many everyday meals. And then there’s Ibérico pork, which feels a little different. A little richer, deeper, and honestly hard to forget once you’ve had it.
I first came across it in Madrid. Like I tend to do, I went off in search of a market and ended up at Mercado de San Miguel. I remember sitting at the Arzábal stall with a plate of Ibérico croquettes and blistered peppers, just taking it all in. It was simple, but so good. Another meal that stayed with me was at Casa Mortero, where the pork was just as memorable.
That’s something I’ve carried with me and come back to in my own kitchen. I’ve cooked with Ibérico pork quite a bit over the years, especially rib roasts and some of the smaller cuts like secreto and pluma. It’s become one of those ingredients I’m always happy to cook with.
So this time, I went back to Spanish at Home and chose Chuleta de cerdo con habas rehogadas. Pork with broad beans. A simple dish, but one that feels very much like everyday cooking in Spain.
What I liked about this recipe is how the beans are added in stages. Some go in early and soften into the sauce, others later, and then a final handful at the end so you still get a bit of texture.
I made a few changes along the way. I substituted nduja and smoked paprika for the sobrassada. I like a little heat, and it worked perfectly with this dish. The slight spice, smoky paprika, and richness from the nduja all worked really well together without overpowering the dish.
I also used duck stock instead of chicken stock, which gave the broth a deeper, richer almost umami-like flavor.
One thing I really loved in this dish was the mint. I’ve always loved how mint is used in so much Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. It adds a freshness that cuts through the richness and gives the dish a little brightness at the end.
I kept it simple and served it with some crusty bread.
Chuleta de cerdo con habas rehogadas
Pork with Broad Beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 pork chops
Olive oil
Butter
2 lb fresh broad beans (fava beans)
5 oz pancetta, chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp nduja
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz dry sherry (Fino)
28 oz duck stock (or chicken stock)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
5 to 6 mint leaves, whole
Method
Prepare the broad beans by removing them from their pods. Keep about a third of the beans in the pods, trimming off the edges, for the sauce. Divide the podded beans into two piles.
Heat a little butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Sear the pork chops until they form a nice crust on both sides. Set aside.
Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until crisp. Remove and set aside.
Pour off most of the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the nduja and smoked paprika and stir until melted into the onions and fragrant.
Pour in the sherry and lemon juice and reduce by about a third. Add the pancetta back to the pan along with the husks and duck stock. Let simmer for about 10 minutes to develop flavor.
Return the pork chops to the pan, cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the pork chops over and add the first pile of beans. Cover again and simmer another 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the pork chops from the pan. Add the remaining beans and mint leaves, raise the heat, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, just until the beans are tender but still bright.
Spoon the beans and broth into shallow bowls, top with a pork chop, and garnish with extra mint if desired.
Serve with crusty bread.
Liz 'N Lux 