Fusion recipe from Asturias and Cuba and España

Cuban-Style Red Beans with Asturian Compango

Name: Cuban-Style Red Beans with Asturian Compango
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 130 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 500 g dried red beans (kidney beans, not white fabes); 150 g smoked Asturian chorizo; 150 g Asturian blood sausage (morcilla); 180 g Asturian cured pork belly or desalted lacón; 250 g peeled pumpkin, diced; 1.6 to 2 liters clean water (adjust according to consistency); 2 bay leaves; 1 medium onion (140 g), chopped; 2 ají cachucha peppers or 1 small green bell pepper (80 g), chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 ripe tomatoes (180-200 g), grated, or 120 g crushed tomato; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 level teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; 60 ml Cuban dry wine or dry white wine; Salt to taste (only at the end); Black pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon wine or apple cider vinegar (optional); Cooked white rice, to serve on the side (optional)

Cuban red bean stew with creole sofrito and Asturian compango: chorizo, blood sausage and pork belly. A thick, flavorful Cuba–Asturias fusion.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Cooking2 h 10 min
Total time2 h 30 min
Servings6 servings
DifficultyMedium

This dish brings together two spoon-food traditions: the Cuban bean stew, with its creole sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic and tomato, and the Asturian compango of chorizo, blood sausage and cured pork belly. In this fusion the compango is worked into the Cuban sofrito: first the pork belly is browned, then onion and pepper, chorizo, garlic, seasonings and, last of all, the blood sausage, before everything goes into the beans.

This is not a fabada: here the star is the red bean, and the underlying flavor comes from cumin, oregano, bay leaf and dry wine. The result is a thick, creamy stew with a reddish sauce, whole beans and clearly visible pieces of compango.

It is an ideal dish for a long family Sunday, served hot in a bowl with white rice on the side.

Method

Wash and check the red beans and soak them for 8 to 12 hours in plenty of water, in the refrigerator. Drain them and discard the soaking water. If using lacón, desalt it beforehand.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Cover the beans with fresh water in a large pot and bring them to a vigorous boil for at least 10 minutes before lowering the heat. This is important with red beans because of their lectins; never put them dry into slow cooking without boiling them first.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
When the initial boil is done, add the bay leaves and cook the beans over low heat, with the pot partially covered, for about 60-90 minutes or until almost tender. Add hot water as needed. Meanwhile, cut the cured pork belly into cubes, slice the chorizo into thick rounds and prepare the blood sausage without crumbling it. The compango is NOT boiled with the beans from the start: it is added after being sautéed.
Make the Cuban sofrito WITH the compango in a large skillet: start with the pork belly (or desalted lacón), over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, so it releases fat and browns lightly; add the oil needed, up to a maximum of the 2 tablespoons indicated. Add the onion and ají cachucha and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Add the sliced Asturian chorizo and cook for 3-4 minutes so it perfumes the sofrito. Add the crushed garlic for 30-60 seconds, then the grated tomato and cook for 5-8 minutes. Season with cumin, oregano and pepper; add the dry wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes. Do not add salt yet.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Add the Asturian blood sausage at the end of the sofrito, whole or in large pieces, and warm it gently for 2-3 minutes without breaking it up. With a spatula or wide spoon, carefully transfer ALL the Cuban sofrito with the pork belly, chorizo, blood sausage and their juices to the pot of almost tender beans. Add the diced pumpkin. Do not stir roughly, to keep the blood sausage recognizable.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Keep a gentle simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or as long as needed until the beans are completely tender, the pumpkin has softened and the compango is well cooked. Stir only carefully and add hot water in small amounts if it thickens too much. Adjust the cooking of the blood sausage according to the manufacturer and avoid violent boiling so it does not break.
To thicken the stew without breaking the blood sausage, set aside a few spoonfuls of beans and pumpkin, mash them and return them to the pot; cook another 5-10 minutes over low heat. Check that the pork belly or lacón is tender and that the chorizo and blood sausage are well cooked. Present the compango clearly visible or cut it into large portions carefully.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Taste and adjust the salt at the end, add a few drops of vinegar to taste and let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot in a bowl, with the white rice on the side.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Tips and variations

Bean safety: red beans (kidney beans) contain lectins. Soak them well, discard the soaking water and boil them vigorously for at least 10 minutes before lowering the heat. Never put them dry straight into slow cooking.

Salt: the compango is already salty, so adjust the salt only at the end.

Timing: how long the beans take depends on the variety and age of the bean; trust the texture (completely tender) rather than the clock.

Variation: you can use cured lacón, previously desalted, instead of the pork belly.

To serve: accompany with white rice on the side and, if you want a touch of acidity, a few drops of vinegar.

Order of the sofrito with compango: for this fusion, the pork belly is browned first in the pan; then come the onion and pepper, chorizo, garlic, tomato and seasonings, and finally the blood sausage. Everything is added to the beans when they are almost tender; the compango is not cooked directly from the start. Handle the blood sausage gently so it does not fall apart.