Aljustrel Cuttlefish Stew with White Beans

Tender cuttlefish, white beans and cured sausages in a rich tomato sauce: this Aljustrel cuttlefish and bean stew is a winter dish made for serving the pot at the table. The cuttlefish is cooked with the linguiça and chouriço, the beans separately, and everything is brought together in the sofrito before finishing with fresh coriander.

A recipe collected in Aljustrel

Carta Gastronómica do Alentejo records this preparation in an interview conducted in 2012 with Maria Benedita, in Aljustrel. The collection note says it was her own recipe. We present it as a recipe collected in Baixo Alentejo, not as an ancient tradition of proven origin.

Serves: 4 people
Total time: about 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus 8 hours to soak the beans

Ingredients for 4 people

• 600 g cleaned cuttlefish, cut into medium-sized pieces
• 300 g dried white beans, weighed before soaking
• 100 g Alentejo linguiça
• 100 g chouriço
• 1 medium onion (about 150 g), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves (about 10 g), chopped
• 300 g ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 45 ml olive oil (3 tablespoons)
• 15 g fresh coriander, chopped
• 1.2 l water for cooking the beans after soaking
• 1 l water for cooking the cuttlefish with the cured sausages; use 300 ml of this cooking liquid in the sauce
• 1 g ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Soak and cook the beans. Cover the 300 g of dried beans with cold water and leave to soak for 8 hours. Discard the soaking water. Transfer the beans to a pot with the measured 1.2 l of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover partially and cook for about 45 to 60 minutes, until the beans are tender without falling apart. Drain. While they cook, prepare the cuttlefish in another pot.
2. Cook the cuttlefish and cured sausages. Put the 600 g of cuttlefish pieces, the 100 g of linguiça and the 100 g of chouriço, still whole, in a medium pot with 1 l of water. Cover partially and cook over low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes, until the cuttlefish is tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserve 300 ml of the cooking liquid and only now cut both cured sausages into slices.
3. Make the sofrito. In a wide pot, heat the 45 ml of olive oil and let the onion soften for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the 300 g of tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, until a thick sauce forms.
4. Finish the stew. Add all the cooked and drained beans, the cuttlefish and the linguiça and chouriço slices to the sofrito. Pour in the reserved 300 ml of cooking liquid and let simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 g of pepper. Taste before adding salt: the cured sausages have already seasoned the cooking liquid.
5. Finish with coriander. Turn off the heat, stir in the 15 g of coriander and serve piping hot.

Tips for getting it right

The cuttlefish is ready when a fork enters without resistance; keep the cooking gentle and the pot partially covered to preserve the cooking liquid. The beans are cooked separately, as in the original collection, so they do not fall apart in the sauce. The recipe uses 100 g of linguiça, not the entire 250 g package.

Wine pairing

Serve Monte de Pinheiros Branco 2025 – Vinho Regional Alentejano chilled. The wine's description highlights a light, citrusy profile, with freshness that complements the cuttlefish and cuts through the richness of the cured sausages without overpowering the dish.

Advance preparation and storage

You can soak and cook the beans the day before. Store the cooked stew in a covered container in the refrigerator as soon as it has cooled and consume within 2 days. Reheat thoroughly in the pot and add fresh coriander when serving.

Frequently asked questions

How many beans go into the recipe?

Use 300 g of dried white beans, measured before soaking. Once cooked and drained, use all the beans obtained; there is no need to weigh them again.

Does the cuttlefish need to go into the sofrito raw?

No. In the collected recipe, it is cooked first with the linguiça and chouriço; only afterward is it added to the beans and tomato sofrito.

More flavours from Baixo Alentejo

Alentejo Linguiça is added during cooking and gives the cooking liquid character. For another fish dish collected in the region, see our Baleizão-style dogfish soup.

Source

Carta Gastronómica do Alentejo (2013), p. 635. Cuttlefish and bean stew collected in Aljustrel, in an interview with Maria Benedita by Vera Cara Roxa (ESDIME), in 2012.

Recipe collected in Baixo Alentejo, adapted by Herdade do Estacal for the “À Mesa com o Alentejo” blog. The source does not quantify the ingredients or cooking times. The portions, amount of olive oil, water, cooking times and doneness indicators were added to make it possible to cook at home, while retaining the sequence of cooking the cuttlefish and cured sausages, cooking the beans separately and finishing the stew in the sofrito.

Illustrative image generated for this article.