Verdinas with cuttlefish and clams

                                                                               Receta en español

The recipe I present today is famous in Asturias, 'verdinas with cuttlefish and clams'. A perfect and surprising mix.

Verdinas  are small beans with a shape remembering a kidney, they are green, that's why they are called 'verdinas' , this name comes from 'verde' (Green in spanish).

These are buttery beans, with a fine and delicate taste. These characteristics make them combine perfectly with seafood and fish.

Verdinas are typical from Llanes in Asturias.

Its greenish color comes from the time of harvest, they are harvested when grain is matured but it is still green. If they are harvested later they become white and their taste is different.

Ingredients:

For fish broth:

• 1 piece of monkfish (for instance).
• 1 piece of onion.
• 1 clove of garlic .
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 sprig of parseley.
• 1 piece red pepper.
• salt.

For verdinas beans:

• 250 grams of verdinas beans.
• 1 cuttlefish.
• 1 onion.
• 2 cloves of garlic.
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 parseley sprig.
• salt.
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika.
• Fish broth.
• a splash of Natural tomato sauce.
• 500 grams of Clams à la marinière.
  

Method:

1-   Soak verdinas for 12 hours.

2-  If you don't have a fish broth, prepare it. Put fish, onion , garlic , bay leaf , parseley , pepper and salt in a casserole with water. Put at high heat, once it reaches boiling point, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

3-  Once broth is cold, strain it and keep the liquid. (Don't throw the rest , you can make croquettes).

4- Put cuttlefish into a pressure cooker, sprinkle a little salt. Pour the quantity of water you need to cover the bottom of the cooker.

5- Put the heat on high , when steam comes out of the safety valve , put heat on low and cook cuttlefish for 20 minutes.

6- Cut cuttlefish into small pieces and set aside.

7- Chop onion and garlic , pour a little olive oil into the pressure cooker, sautée onion and garlic for 3 minutes at low heat.

8- Add bay leaf, parseley, salt and pepper (sweet paprika) , keep on sautéing for 5 more minutes.

9- Add verdinas beans and stirr with a wooden spoon , keep on sautéing for 3 more minutes.

10- Add a trickle of natural tomato sauce, cover verdinas with fish broth, it should cover 1 cm above the verdinas. (fish broth must be cold).

11- Close pressure cooker, put on high heat, when steam comes out from the valve put heat on low heat and cook verdinas for 10 minutes.

12- Open the pressure cooker and keep cooking verdinas for 10 more minutes , on low heat and the lid ajar.

13- Add to the pressure cooker the cuttlefish and Clams à la marinière  , stirr with a wooden spoon and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
¡Now verdinas are ready!.

My comments to the Recipe

I had never tried beans with seafood. I am delighted with this combination, besides verdinas are soft and buttery , they go perfectly with cuttlefish and clams.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Asturias