Alubia de Tolosa is a bean which is central to the Basque cuisine. These hearty beans have a distinct coloration ranging from reddish purple to black, with white spots.

We have imported these premium beans from El Maragato, the premiere source of gourmet quality beans in Spain, who assure us that these alubias are of superb quality. They require a 24-hour soaking before you can use them.

One of their favorite applications is in a hot dish (potage) made by combining about a pound of Alubias de Tolosa (after being soaked) with a whole onion, green pepper, a clove of garlic, a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, bacon or fat back, a ham bone, chorizo, black sausage (morcilla) and sweet paprika from Murcia.

Put the Alubias de Tolosa, onion, green pepper, garlic, bacon, piece of ham bone, and olive oil in a cazuela or stewing pot and simmer for about twenty minutes. Then add the salt, chorizo and morcilla and cook for about 20 minutes more. Finally add a pinch of sweet paprika from Murcia.

These beans are very similar to the classic black bean D.O. Alubia de Tolosa, but are a fraction of the price.

This ought to get you started. Once you taste these wonderful beans we're sure you will want to find many other recipes, both in the cookbooks that La Tienda carries and in your own Spanish cookbooks at home.